


The After Party

by tiramisuuu



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Based on Crazy Rich Asians, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2019-07-07 02:30:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 50,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15899091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiramisuuu/pseuds/tiramisuuu
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki’s life isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty damn good: she has a fun and fast-paced job as a barista, she finally convinced her landlord to let her adopt an adorable kitten, and she’s head-over-heels in love with her boyfriend of a year, Sasuke Uchiha.But when Sasuke asks her to accompany him to Tokyo for his best friend’s wedding, Naruto realises he comes from a very different world — a world of staggering wealth, power, influence and casual decadence. Naruto’s goal was to have fun in the city… but now she’s not sure she’ll even make it out alive.





	1. The Secret

**Author's Note:**

> I watched the trailer for Crazy Rich Asians in the cinema today (it doesn't come out until the 14th of September here) and I was like omg...that'd be an excellent Sasunaru AU...

 

 

 

Sasuke was acting weird. 

Naruto’s boyfriend of a year had been acting weird for a total of two days. It started on Wednesday. He was… distracted, to say the least. When he came home from work, he completely forgot to even greet Naruto because he was texting furiously on his phone. Literally. He was scowling and glaring at the screen, fingers slamming into the keyboard so violently that Naruto was concerned he’d break the damn thing. When she asked him what was wrong, he snapped, ‘Problems with a client’ and stormed away.

Then he locked himself in their bedroom for two hours, ranting in Japanese to the poor bastard on the other end of the line. Naruto shrugged — it wasn’t the first time Sasuke had brought his work-related drama home, nor the first time it had been due to international business — and promptly went back to playing with their newly-adopted kitten Kurama, who had decided her belly was its new favourite pillow. Honestly, her landlord was the best for letting them adopt the little red cat. It had only taken two months of convincing, she thought wryly to herself. 

When Sasuke came out of the room, still looking disgruntled, he apologised gruffly before sitting down next to her on the couch, running a hand through his dark locks. Naruto graciously accepted the apology, fully aware of how stressful his city job as an investment banker could be. She was working at a little cafe downtown as a barista and waitress, and while she did deal with shitty customers from time to time, it wasn’t like the entire establishment was at risk because of the (frequent) mistakes she made. Plus, Naruto was just generally a more cheerful person, and not the type to dwell on things like Sasuke was. 

But before she could ask him if he wanted to talk about it, or offer him some food, or sex, or anything really, he got up and went to bed, closing the bedroom door behind him. And when she went to sleep a few hours later (she didn’t want to miss The Voice, grouchy boyfriend be damned), Sasuke was fast asleep, hilariously still frowning even in his slumber. He was gone by the time she woke up in the morning, leaving behind a little note on their apartment counter about closing an important deal. Naruto shrugged, leaned down to kiss Kurama goodbye, and went to work. 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday after work, though, his mood was still ongoing. At first, he seemed totally fine. When he came home from work he seemed rather calm, and apologised again for his abrupt behaviour the previous night, explaining over some of the baked goods Naruto brought home from the cafe that his boss at work was giving him a hard time. Again, she told him she understood, and then bluntly asked him if he’d rather give her a hard time instead, if he knew what she meant. She even wriggled her eyebrows suggestively to get the point across, reaching over the squeeze his thigh. 

Sasuke paused, laughed at her ridiculousness, and then leaned in to kiss her passionately. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his toned body, gasping as his lips moved down her throat and collarbone. Things became intense rather quickly, and they had a very happy few hours on the floor beside their couch, losing themselves in the ecstasy of each other’s bodies. Even though it had been just a year, he knew Naruto and her body so well — knew what made her gasp and throw her head back in pleasure, and was undeterred by her seemingly never-ending stamina. Honestly, despite being a moody bastard from time to time, he was a pretty good catch. 

But as they were cleaning up, Naruto feeling sore but smiling brightly, Sasuke received a text message. He looked over at his phone and cursed upon identifying who it was from, snatching it up before Naruto could make out a name. He apologised, saying it was work again, and that he absolutely had to reply. And so he shut himself in their room for another few hours, voice raised in fury as he argued with the caller.

As Naruto finished cleaning up she decided, against her better judgement, to eavesdrop. Sasuke usually didn’t like her listening in on his work-related calls due to ‘confidentiality and security issues’, but right now he was outright yelling at the person on the other line, and she was curious and a little concerned. 

“Okay,” she heard Sasuke say as she inched closer to the bedroom door. “Okay. I understand, damn it.”

Then he started speaking in Japanese, which was his first language as he grew up in Japan before moving to America at a young age. Naruto, who was also of Japanese heritage but lost her parents at a young age and grew up in an orphanage, could pretty much only speak English and thus barely understood what he was saying. Sasuke was always promising to teach her Japanese but he had never got round to it, and he seemed rather uncomfortable whenever she suggested they go on a trip to Japan together, mumbling something about the dangers of earthquakes and tsunamis. When his family back home called, he took the calls privately.

In truth, she usually only ever heard him speak Japanese during some of their most passionate moments, when Naruto did something right with her mouth or hips or hands, and the words fell from his lips a little desperately and reverently. And that was great.

But as she was unable to understand his current conversation, she was about to give up and walk away when he switched to English again.

“I know,” he was muttering. “I’ve been putting it off long enough. I’ll tell her soon. But it’s…it’s Naruto, you know? She’s so…I mean, I just don’t know how she’ll react.”

Naruto felt her blood go cold. What the fuck did that mean? I just don’t know how she’ll react. Sasuke sounded so dejected and downtrodden, it couldn’t possibly be anything good. She heard him hang up the phone and quickly tip-toed back to the living room, making it look like she’d been innocently cleaning up the entire time.

“You okay?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he walked over to her. “Yeah,” he sighed. “I’m just tired. And stressed. Work is…crazy.” She hummed, trying to calm her thoughts. Sasuke kissed her on the forehead and said, “I’m really tired. I think I’m going to take a shower and go to sleep.”

He walked away before she could respond. And by the time she took her own shower and went to bed, trying to determine just what the hell was going on, he was fast asleep. 

 

 

 

 

When she woke up the next morning to an empty bed, Naruto was confident he was avoiding her, and that something was officially Going On. So, as soon as she took her first break at work later that morning, she did the only thing she could think of. She called Sakura.

“Sakura!” Naruto wailed into her phone as soon as she picked up. “Sasuke hates me!”

“Shut up, Naruto,” her best friend of eleven years immediately snapped, an instinctive response to the blonde girl’s frequent bullshit. Naruto could hear the chaos of the ER in the background, and felt a little guilty for calling the very busy doctor in the middle of what was undoubtedly a hectic day. “What do you mean, Sasuke hates you?” Sakura demanded. 

Naruto leaned against the wall of the alleyway outside the cafe, sighing deeply. “He’s been acting all weird for two whole days! And not angry-weird — well, he’s angry, I think, but not with me! I mean, that’s what I thought! But then I heard him on the phone last night, and I think he’s plotting to break up with me! Or maybe he has a secret mistress—”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve got to be married for it to be a mistress,” sighed Sakura. “But go on.”

“Yeah, well, anyway, he told the person on the other end of the line that he didn’t know how I’d react! React to what, Sakura? A break-up, of course! Or a secret love-child!”

Sakura cackled into the phone. “A secret love-child? A secret mistress? I swear, you’re ridiculous. Calm down, Naruto. Have you considered, I dunno, actually talking to him about it?”

Naruto paused. “No. But, c’mon, Sakura, you know Sasuke!”

“I don’t, actually,” Sakura replied. Naruto could practically feel the pink-haired woman rolling her eyes. “You guys have only been going out for a year, and I’ve met him twice. And one of those times was when you got food poisoning and he dragged you in here.”

“Our fourth date,” Naruto said blissfully, feeling herself begin to happily reminisce that memorable and action-packed day. She shook her head quickly. “Wait, that’s not what I’m talking about! The point is, Sasuke isn’t the type of guy to be all emotional and vent-y. He’s really quiet and reserved. He keeps stuff to himself, ya know. It’s just his personality.”

“Hmm,” said Sakura, sounding deeply unimpressed. “I still think you should talk to him about it. Put your foot down and confront him. Otherwise, you’ll go crazy trying to figure things out.”

Naruto sighed, running a hand through her blonde locks as she thought it through. As usual, Sakura was making some very good points. 

Sakura added, “If it helps, I really don’t think he’s cheating on you, and I doubt he’ll break up with you.”

“How do you know that?” Naruto demanded.

Sakura paused, and Naruto could tell she was smirking. “I don’t know him, but I mean, come on. Look at you, Naruto. You’re a fine piece of ass. I’ll schedule any guy who gives you up an appointment with our top psychiatrist, because he definitely needs it.”

Naruto blushed. “Aw, thanks, Sakura.” She wasn’t a vain person by any means, but it felt good to be complimented, especially by someone as well-adjusted, brilliant and beautiful as her best friend.

“Anytime,” said Sakura. “Now, I need to get back to work, because some of us actually give a shit about our jobs. Talk to you later, blondie.” She hung up before Naruto could even say bye. 

Naruto smiled, feeling a lot better after their conversation. Then she got a glimpse of the time, and realised she’d accidentally gone over her break-time by ten minutes. She ran back into the cafe, apologising profusely to her annoyed boss.

When Naruto’s shift was over, she checked her phone to find a new message from Sasuke. As always, it was brief and to-the-point, painfully lacking in emoji. He told her to meet him at a fancy restaurant downtown in two hours so they could ‘talk’.

Naruto froze, squealed in a mixture of anticipation and nerves, and ran all the way home to get freshened up and into something a little classier than her One Punch Man t-shirt. It was finally the moment of truth.

 

 

 

 

But now they were at the restaurant, and Sasuke had barely touched his expensive plate of food, nor had he ‘talked’ at all. She felt her eyebrow begin to twitch in frustration as he sighed, played with his knife and fork, sighed again, sipped nervously at his glass of wine, admired the interior design and lighting, and did everything he could think of to avoid looking at her.

“Sasuke,” she said seriously. “You okay?”

Sasuke looked around the ceiling again. He even made eye contact with a particularly thirsty waitress who had been trying to impress him all night, but quickly looked away. Naruto was a mixture of annoyed and impressed with the girl’s determination, especially after she spent a full five minutes complimenting Sasuke’s attire and his taste in alcohol, completely ignoring Naruto’s presence. She was probably gleeful about how the two of them had barely spoken the entire night.

“Sasuke,” Naruto snapped. “You said we’re here to talk, so talk.”

Her handsome, wonderful, loving, snarky, intelligent, usually-attentive boyfriend of a year looked up and smiled abashedly. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll get on with it.” He cleared his throat and began to speak. “Naruto, you know I care about you so much, and I love you, I really do.” He paused for a moment, frowning down at the table. 

Yep, he was breaking up with her, and he most likely chose the public setting of a restaurant to ensure she didn’t make a scene. What a fool! Naruto was the type to make a scene anywhere.

Naruto blurted out, “And I love you too, bastard. Now spit it out already. You’re freaking me out.”

Another long moment passed. Naruto was sure she was sweating like a pig, and the heat of the restaurant definitely wasn’t helping, but she resisted the urge to wipe her face with a napkin.

And then Sasuke finally, finally looked up at her, his lips turned up in a soft smile. He reached over to take both of her hands in his, and Naruto felt herself relax at the familiar touch — a touch she had grown to love and cherish over the past three hundred and ninety-two days (not that she was counting). 

“Let me try this again,” Sasuke said, his tone amused. “Don’t freak out, you idiot. I do care about you, and I love you, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

Naruto shrugged, but before she could interrupt him, he continued, “We’ve been together for over a year now. So don’t you think…we should take our relationship to the next level?” He let go of one of her hands to take a sip from his wine glass.

Naruto froze. The next level? “Wait,” she said, lifting her free hand in confusion. “You mean like, getting married?”

Sasuke choked on his wine, spluttering red liquid everywhere. The thirsty waitress actually gasped and rushed over to help him clean it up, but Sasuke waved her away. Naruto laughed as the woman skulked off, feeling the heaviness lifting from her chest as her boyfriend glared at her half-heartedly and began mopping up the mess. So Sasuke wasn’t breaking up with her. That was good. That was very good. Still, what did he mean?

“Hey,” she said coyly, as he finally collected himself. “Is getting married to me really such a terrifying idea?”

Naruto wasn’t exactly desperate to become Mrs. Uchiha — the whole idea of marriage and weddings never appealed to her much — but she was curious to know how Sasuke felt about it, considering he was much more…traditional than her.

Sasuke cleared his throat, shrugging in a way she could only describe as evasive. “No! It’s just…a little early to discuss that, don’t you think?” He sighed, remembering his original purpose. “But actually, that’s a relevant topic.” He took a deep breath and said, “My best friend is getting married, and I want you to attend the wedding with me.”

He paused. Naruto paused, too, and then realised he’d finished speaking.

“Is that it?” she demanded. “That’s what you’ve been freaking out about these past few days? That’s what you mean by taking our relationship to the next level? Accompanying you to a wedding?”

Sasuke scowled. “Yes, that’s it,” he sneered. He was embarrassed, she could tell.

“Sasuke, you bastard, that’s so not a big deal! I’d love to go to your friend’s wedding with you. But I was really freaking out, ya know! I thought you were gonna break up with me, because you were acting so shady, and angry, and weird! And then you open up the conversation with, ‘I really care about you!’ and ‘I love you!’ C’mon, Sasuke, you never say shit like that!”

“Yes I do,” Sasuke growled. “I say it all the time. You’re just not awake to hear it.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he blushed and took a gulp of wine. Naruto blushed, too, but let out a loud giggle as she took in his sentimental words. “Oh, Sasuke,’ she cooed. “You tell me you love me when I’m asleep? Why not when I’m awake and able to say it back? You’re so stingy!”

Sasuke scoffed, taking another gulp of his drink. At this rate, she was going to have to drag him home. But a drunk Sasuke meant a soft, sweet Sasuke who let her kiss his forehead and play with his ridiculously soft hair…so it was a win-win situation, all things considered.

As she giggled again, Sasuke looked over the rim of his glass at her curiously and asked, “Did you really think I was going to break up with you?”

Naruto shrugged, scratching at the back of her arm. Now it was her turn to feel embarrassed and insecure. “I dunno. I guess.”

He reached over to hold her hands again and smiled at her — one of his soft, kind smiles that he never seemed to show anyone else but her. It made her feel tingly all over, and she beamed happily. 

 

 

 

 

Later that night, after Naruto had thoroughly braided and unbraided Sasuke’s hair and kissed his stupid pale face all over, they went to bed. Naruto had left a glass of water and aspirin on his bedside table, aware of an impending hangover. As she turned the lights off and settled into bed beside him, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body to his. 

“Goodnight, Sasuke,” she whispered up at him. 

He mumbled in response, closing his eyes and dozing off.

Naruto laid her head on his chest, taking in the quiet bustling sounds of the city streets outside, and the comfort provided by their closeness. The past few days had been so chaotic, and stressful, but she was glad it was all sorted out now. She felt the exhaustion and stress leave her body, and she felt heavy and tired. 

Honestly, Sasuke was such a drama queen, making such a big deal out of something so petty! Sakura always called Naruto melodramatic as hell, but judging from his recent behaviour, Sasuke was on a whole other level. Speaking of Sakura, maybe his best friend was as crazy and scary as Sakura was, and that’s why he was nervous for Naruto to meet him. Naruto didn’t really know many of Sasuke’s friends, because he was so busy and barely had time for social interactions, but she was looking forward to meeting them at the wedding. Hmm, ‘the next level’ indeed.

Suddenly, Sasuke spoke blearily into the darkness, interrupting her from her amusing thoughts. “The wedding is in two weeks’ time, by the way.”

Naruto shrugged, inching closer to the warmth of his body, feeling herself begin to drift off. “Okay.”

Sasuke yawned heavily. “And it’s in Tokyo.”

“Cool,” mumbled Naruto, closing her eyes.

A few moments later, her brain caught up and she fully processed his words. Naruto quickly sat up in bed, eyes wide as she poked her sleeping boyfriend’s body. “Wait, what? Tokyo?! As in Tokyo, Japan? Sasuke? Sasuke Uchiha, wake up, damn it!”

 

 

 


	2. The Beginning

The next morning, Naruto met up with Sakura at the cafe. The pink-haired woman stopped by during her lunch hour, and Naruto walked over to the window seat with two caramel lattes, a blueberry muffin (for Sakura) and a slice of chocolate cake (for herself). She was pleased to immediately announce that things between her and Sasuke were sorted.

“He was just overreacting, as always,” Naruto scoffed over a mouthful of cake. “He just wants me to go to his best friend’s wedding with him. Stupid, right?”

“I suppose,” Sakura said, mulling it over. “Since it’s his best friend, he’s going to be the best man, right? So his role in the wedding is going to be pretty big. The responsibility is probably what made him stressed.”

“Yeah,” agreed Naruto. “And work isn’t cutting him any slack now they know he’s going on vacation soon.”

“Still, Tokyo. That’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to go there,” sighed Sakura. “You’d better take a bunch of photos. Not just stupid selfies, I actually want to see landmarks.” 

“Will do,” promised Naruto. She paused, beaming at Sakura. “It’s crazy. Me and Sasuke been together for a year and a month. I know it’s a relatively short amount of time, but it just doesn’t feel like it. It feels like I’ve known him forever.”

Sakura scoffed, taking a large bite of her muffin. “You’re still in the honeymoon stage,” she said dismissively. “That’s going to fade soon.”

Now it was Naruto’s time to scoff. ‘C’mon, Sakura, what do you know? The longest relationship you’ve had lasted for two months!’ It was true — Sakura was somewhat of a man-eater. She had extremely high standards when it came to men and didn’t like to waste her time with the troubles that came with a relationship, insisting her day job was stressful enough. 

Naruto, on the other hand, had been in a few long-term relationships. And yet none of them had ever been as magical, fun and exhilarating as her time with Sasuke. 

As though able to hear her thoughts, Sakura gave the blonde woman a smile. “Okay, I’ll admit I’ve never seen you this happy with a guy. Your exes have always been straight up trash. So maybe you’re right,” she shrugged, playing with the handle of her coffee mug. “Maybe you guys are the real deal.”

“I hope so,” Naruto said wistfully. Sakura was right: Naruto’s exes had all been…shitty, to say the least. She’d been lied to, used, and even cheated on — basically, it was enough to put her off the idea of relationships for a while.

 

When she met Sasuke, she had already decided to take a step back from dating and focus on her own personal development. She was working at the cafe pretty much all day everyday, saving up money so she could go to back to school. Her dream was to be a kindergarten teacher, but she lacked the necessary qualifications for the job. Back in high school, Naruto had worked as a babysitter for a number of families around town and she quickly realised that she adored working with children. They were so fun, creative and interesting, and they never judged her based on stupid stuff like wealth and class — which was something she got from adults all the time. When one of her employers suggested she become a kindergarten teacher, she’d been inspired, did some research, and decided to go for it. 

Before long, her life became a dull, boring, repetitive routine of working long days and afternoons at the cafe, and taking a few classes at night if she had the time. She also worked a variety of temp jobs on the side if possible. But the harder she worked, the more her passion and excitement began to fade. She no longer found herself beaming at each customer who walked into the cafe, or smiling as she walked down the street, and sometimes would find herself blinking away tears as she stood in the shower at night. Naruto even began to doubt herself, thinking all her hard work was pointless because someone as idiotic and underachieving as herself would never get into college anyway.

Soon her friends began to notice a difference in her personality. She cancelled plans and stayed at home more and more frequently, even though she used to be the party animal of the group. Even Sakura, who was in her final year of medical school and drowning in work, became concerned with how hard Naruto was working. She insisted the blonde join her and the others for some drinks, or a girl’s night out, or even a sleepover, but Naruto always refused and came up with some random excuse. 

It was only on Naruto’s twenty-third birthday that she relented. Sakura had met up with her for a lunch a week earlier and had begged her, with teary eyes, to tell her what was going wrong.

“Just talk to me, Naruto,” Sakura pleaded. “I’m really worried about you.”

Seeing her brilliant, wonderful best friend so distraught is what made Naruto came clean. She burst into tears herself and confessed about how stressed she was, and how low she was feeling lately. Sakura listened quietly and then reached over to take Naruto’s hand from across the table, squeezing it in comfort.

“Naruto, you’re not an idiot. You’re a great person and an amazing friend, and I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without your kindness and support. Life is full of ups and downs. And it’s totally normal to feel stressed out and exhausted, especially when you’re working so hard. But you can’t give up. You’re going to be the best kindergarten teacher ever. But you’ve just got to get through this difficult time, and I know you will.” Sakura’s eyes were bright as she encouraged her friend.

Naruto felt herself smile. Sakura was right. She could get through this. When she was a kid, she would always wish she had a teacher who was kind, loving and attentive. And some day, she could be that teacher to someone, but she couldn’t give up now. 

A week later, they went out to celebrate her twenty-third birthday with two of their other friends. Naruto was joined by Sakura (who was excited to step away from her books for a night), Sakura’s classmate Mai, and Naruto’s co-worker Hana. After they all finished up work and school, they got all dressed up and headed out into the warm night. 

“I can’t wait to get super drunk,” whined Mai as they piled into the cab. She was a lot like Sakura — self-assured and no-nonsense. 

“Same,” giggled Hana, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. She was the youngest of the group, a polite and shy girl, and had only recently started working at the cafe. 

They arrived at the nightclub shortly and strolled into the premises excitedly, the loud music and smell of alcohol invading their senses in a split-second. 

“I’m going to get drinks,” declared Sakura. “Go find us seats.”

Naruto and the others managed to snag a booth in a dark corner, big enough for four people with a small, low table in between. The other booths were all taken by groups of people and, of course, horny couples. Naruto ignored them as she sat down and exhaled, wondering what drink Sakura was going to get her, but as she turned to her friends she noticed Mai was looking at her with a glint in her eye. 

“What’s up?” Naruto asked suspiciously.

Mai smirked, looking her up and down. “That’s a nice outfit you’ve got on, Naruto. A very nice outfit.”

Naruto raised an eyebrow as she looked down at her sparkly blue dress that stopped at her thighs — Sakura, who picked it out, insisted it made her eyes ‘pop’. But now she was doubting herself. “Is it too much?”

“No!” cried Mai, waving her hands insistently. “That was not what I mean at all.”

Hana shook her head. “It looks very alluring, Naruto.” 

“Listen,” said Mai, dark eyes rolling in a way that meant she was about to be very, very blunt. “You look sexy, and such a good outfit shouldn’t be wasted on us. Go find some guy to dance with. Let him take you home. Get laid for once.”

“What?!” cried Naruto, heat rushing to her cheeks. “You’re so gross, ew!” 

“Grow up, Naruto. Mai has a point,” said a familiar voice nearby. Naruto turned and saw Sakura approaching with a tray of colourful drinks in her hands. The pink-haired girl distributed the cocktails, took her seat beside Mai and demanded, “When was the last time you got laid, Naruto?” 

Naruto bit her lip, suddenly understanding why Mai and Sakura were friends. Even Hana, usually the shyest of the group, was grinning excitedly as they harassed the blonde girl.

Naruto sighed, reaching over for a martini. She was going to need some alcohol in her system if she was going to deal with these three all night. “A while ago,” she confessed, which meant six months. “But that doesn’t matter. I’m totally fine.”

“No, you’re not,” said Sakura, rolling her eyes again. “I don’t know how you can last that long." 

Mai added, “And like I said, you’re looking way too good to be sat here all night. Go!”

“You guys, last time I checked I was the birthday girl. You shouldn’t be harassing me!” insisted Naruto, having had enough. “Leave me alone!” Her friends all laughed and agreed to go easy on her, and Hana swiftly changing the topic to something else. 

Naruto sipped at her drink, feeling a little upset even though their teasing words were harmless. She was no prude, but this was seriously humiliating. She didn’t need a guy to feel good about herself, and she had no intention of hooking up with some desperate loser tonight. Naruto just didn’t like meaningless sex and one night stands, not even when she was younger and more reckless. She preferred to have a connection with the person she slept with — otherwise, it didn’t feel right. Of course, she’d never admit this to Sakura or Mai, who would make fun of her for being so romantic. 

She took another big sip of her drink and was glad when the alcohol quickly began to take effect, taking the edge off her nerves. The loud music of the club pulsed through her veins and she found herself nodding her head to the beat. Soon, her friends began gossiping about their love lives. Mai had a crush on her TA and kept ranting about how good-looking he was; Sakura agreed the man was handsome and gave her blessing, but goody-two shoes Hana begged Mai not to do anything ‘risky’. Hana herself admitted she had a crush on a guy who lived in her apartment building, but was terrified to tell him because she didn’t want things to become awkward. 

Naruto felt herself relax and listened along to the conversation, laughing whenever Mai said something outrageous. They even began planning a girls’ trip out of the country as soon as Mai and Sakura finished school. Mai wanted to go to Spain, but a drunk Hana declared she wanted to go to South Korea so she could stalk her favourite K-Pop idol. Soon Naruto was feeling lighter than she had in a long time. She was glad the girls had dragged her out for her birthday. It was good to forget the chaos of life, how stressful and repetitive things were. It was nice to feel young and stupid and excited about the future for once.

A familiar pop song began to play, and loads of people ran to the dance floor. Sakura squealed and reached over to grab Naruto’s hand. Naruto relented and allowed herself to be dragged to the dance floor, where she danced with Sakura for four songs straight. Neither of them were very good dancers, but that didn’t matter because they were drunkenly swaying, laughing wildly and clutching onto each other as they attempted to recreate some of their favourite music video dance routines. At one point Sakura accidentally stepped on a tall guy’s foot and he glared at her; she growled at him and Naruto shrieked with laughter when his face paled and he walked away. 

By the end of the fourth song, Naruto was exhausted and sweating all over. “I’m gonna get some air,” she yelled to Sakura over the loud music. Sakura nodded and closed her eyes, resuming her dancing. 

Naruto exhaled heavily as she finally made her way out of the huge, hot crowd of swaying bodies. She stumbled over to the bar and took a seat, the still-sober part of her brain wise enough to ask the bartender for some water. As she smiled to herself and drank slowly, she felt someone sit down in the seat next to her.

“You look like you’re having a good time,” said a deep voice. 

Naruto looked over at the person who addressed her. He had short black hair and a slightly creepy look on his face. Naruto enviously noticed how he didn’t seem to be sweating at all despite his dark, heavy clothing and the very warm interior of the club. 

“Yeah,” she replied evenly, taking another sip of her water. 

The man inched closer to her, tilting his head what he probably thought was friendly and well-meaning. “I hope this doesn’t seem too forward, but you’re an incredibly beautiful woman.” 

Even though he was a bit of a creep, like an idiot Naruto heard herself giggle and blurt out, “Thanks.”

He nodded, giving her a smile that looked plastic. Wow, the alcohol was seriously messing with her brain. “Can I get you a drink?” he inquired stiffly.

Naruto considered it. The dude was kinda weird, but her friends were nearby, and you don’t turn twenty-three every day. Also, free drinks. She grinned and let him buy her a cocktail, which she gulped down like nobody’s business. 

Things took a turn for the worse a few minutes later when she noticed him staring, rather blatantly, at her cleavage. “Hey!” she cried. “My face is up here, buddy.” 

The man gave her that fake smile again. “Yes, but your face isn’t much. I’d rather look at your chest.”

Naruto choked on her drink, startled and furious. What the fuck? Before she could respond ,or simply punch the creep in his stiff face, he reached over to touch one of her breasts, his cold, slimy fingers groping at her skin. 

Naruto shrieked and jumped out of her seat, sobering up at once. She felt herself bump into someone behind her and spun around, relaxing immediately when she realised it was Sakura, Mai and Hana, all scowling at the creepy guy behind her.

“What the fuck is your problem, asshole?” demanded Sakura, hands balled into fists.

“Get away from our friend,” spat Mai.

The dark-haired man smiled down at the three women, hands raised in surrender. “Sorry about that, ladies.” 

Mai and Sakura both growled and stalked towards him, furious and ready to attack. Suddenly he shoved past them, sprinting onto the dance floor where he disappeared into the crowd.

“Ugh!” cried Hana, rushing over to a stunned Naruto. “What a creep! Naruto, are you okay?” 

Naruto nodded numbly as her friends all wrapped their arms around her comfortingly. She was felt a little amused, outraged, shocked and disgusted. “I’m fine, guys. I kinda wanna go home anyway.”

They nodded in understanding, collected their things and made their way out to the car park, where Sakura called a cab. As they dropped Naruto off first, they all wished her a happy birthday, apologised about the creepy guy ruining her night, and told her they’d be coming over the next evening to give her birthday gifts. Naruto grinned and waved them goodbye as the car pulled away.

After she tottered into her apartment, slowly changed out of her clothes and washed up, she collapsed into her tiny bed with a heavy sigh. The night had been fun for the most part, but she was still feeling sick after her encounter with that awful man. 

“Seriously?” she mumbled wryly into her pillow, lamenting her life. “I can’t even get one night without bullshit, can I?”

She yawned heavily and closed her eyes, surrendering to a blissfully deep sleep. 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning Naruto stumbled into the cafe early in the morning, exhausted, bleary-eyed and nursing a terrible hangover. She felt sick and ached all over. The painkillers she’d swallowed on the way to work hadn’t helped much, nor did the extra-long shower she took, and she knew she looked like shit. As she tied on her apron with a pounding headache, Naruto was secretly wishing she’d stayed home. 

Still, she needed the money and couldn’t take time off work, so she made her way to the cafe. She was grateful for the muscle memory that allowed her to get through the early morning shift without much issue, and faked a smile to all the usual customers who walked in. By 10am she felt a little bit better, and had begun to convince herself that she could make it through the day. But then everything went to shit when he walked in.

He was tall, with dark hair and pale skin. She instantly thought of the creep who had groped her at the bar last night and narrowed her eyes instinctively, but as the man came closer she realised they looked nothing alike. This guy was disgustingly good-looking with elegant and handsome features, clad in an expensive suit and holding a briefcase. His dark eyes calmly scanned the interior of the small cafe. He led a few other suited, serious-looking businessmen to one of the larger tables, all five of them following him attentively. Before long, one of them — a plump bald man — gestured for Naruto to come and take their order.

Naruto sighed. She usually hated these types of stuck-up rich guys because they tended to treat the waitress like trash. Indeed, as she approached, the bald man didn’t even bother to look her in the face.

“We’ll take five cappuccinos,” he ordered. “The good stuff. None of that cheap shit.”

“Okay,” said Naruto, rolling her eyes as she wrote the order down. Did he really think they had a crate labelled “Cheap Shit” just waiting in the back?

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?” the man demanded. 

Naruto looked up from her notepad to see his fat cheeks trembling in anger. Seriously, she was not in the mood for assholes like this! Not after last night, and not with such a bad headache. “No,” she said in a mock-innocent tone. “I had something in my eye.”

The man's scowl deepened. "This is why I hate coming to shitholes like this," he spat. "Terrible quality, and terrible customer service." 

“Anderson, shut up,” said the dark-haired leader of their entourage as he looked up from a piece of paper — a graph of some sorts — that he’d been intently studying. He made eye contact with Naruto and paused for the briefest moment, dark eyes looking curious and intrigued before he looked away and simply said, “We don’t have time for this.” 

He waved a hand towards Naruto and returned to his work, and the blonde realised he meant he was dismissing her. Like she was a fucking dog. She grit her teeth, shoved her notepad and pencil in her pocket and stalked away to begin making their order. Fucking rich bastards.

As she returned with the tray laden with their hot drinks, she noticed the handsome guy watching her again, this time not bothering to hide his clear interest as his group droned on about boring stuff like clients, figures and new developments. The fat bald guy sneered at her over his coffee. Naruto resisted the urge to pour his coffee all over him and returned to her place behind the counter, ready to finally serve someone decent. Honestly, if they were such hot-shot guys so concerned with "quality", why were they in this humble cafe and not some big fancy office building? 

Still, she felt the dark-haired man’s eyes on her and she turned away to make light conservation with an unsuspecting Hana, feeling uneasy over the heat of his gaze.

The group stayed for another hour but finally seemed satisfied with their progress, packing up and making their way out. But the man who had been watching her all along told his colleagues he’d catch up with them in a minute and walked over to Naruto, who was now beginning to feel annoyed.

The first thing he asked her was, “When does your shift end?” 

She paused, looking over to Hana who was now watching the interaction carefully. Grateful for the silent support, Naruto turned back to the guy who seemed unperturbed. God, he was even more handsome up close, his ink-black hair contrasting with the paleness of his skin, his dark gaze never leaving her. Too bad he reeked of entitlement. 

“Not for a couple of hours. Now if you’ll excuse me, sir, I have work to do.” Naruto replied coldly, and then she walked away to serve a new customer.

The man stood there for a moment, eyes widening in surprise. Naruto wanted to laugh out loud at the utter shock on his face but held it in as he scowled and walked out of the cafe, clutching his briefcase tight. She was sure he’d never been rejected before (not surprising, considering he was very handsome and seemingly well-off) and so she was extremely honoured to be the first to turn the arrogant, snobby man down. 

She laughed about the incident with Hana and went about her day, serving more pleasant customers and forgetting all about the handsome, arrogant man. 

  
But Naruto had underestimated the man’s determination. The next day, a Saturday, the man returned in more casual (but still stunning and probably very expensive) clothing, without his previous companions, and sat next to one of the cafe windows. Naruto, feeling dread in the pit of her stomach, was the only one working that day and couldn’t force Hana to serve the man. She procrastinated taking his order for thirty minutes by cleaning all the utensils, counting the stock and tidying up the bathroom. His eyes didn’t leave her for a single moment, and he didn’t raise an issue about her terrible customer service. 

As she finally approached him, she felt incredibly apprehensive. “What can I get you?” she muttered.

“Your number,” he said bluntly.

Naruto scowled, put her notepad in her pocket and walked away to go and count stock for the second time. Honestly, what a creep. By the time she emerged from the stockroom, he was thankfully gone. 

However, the day after that, he was back. Hana, who had been filled in with all the details about Naruto’s new creeper, sighed quietly and said, “Your admirer is back, Naruto.” 

“Eww,” Naruto groaned as the handsome approached. Before she could even ask Hana to go and sort it out, he stalked over to the till and addressed Naruto, “Let me buy you lunch.”

“Ugh!” said Naruto. “You’re so desperate. Just order a drink and get lost!”

“I’m not desperate,” he snapped, looking seriously offended.

"Then why do you keep coming back?" she demanded. 

He said nothing for a long time. Then he said, “Whatever.” He turned around and walked out, practically radiating frustration and annoyance as he left the cafe. Naruto wanted to laugh in a mixture of relief and amusement. It was the first time the guy’s stupidly perfect face didn’t look totally stoic.

But even though she was sure she’d defeated him, he returned the next day looking rather contemplative, waiting calmly in line approach Naruto at the till as she finished up an order. When he reached her, he said, “If lunch doesn’t work, let me get you dinner. Please.”

Naruto noticed his entire tone had changed, going from arrogant and demanding, to embarrassed, to…genuine. “Why do you want to go out with me so much?” she asked, curious. 

He shrugged. Naruto was surprised to see redness creeping up his neck as he flushed. 

Neither of them spoke for a minute, with Naruto thinking carefully about this guy who had seemingly swallowed his huge pride to approach her. She was beginning to think there might just be more to him than ‘stuck-up rich guy’. And for some reason, the soft-hearted moron in her who’d been judged all her life wanted to give the man a chance.

Just as he was about to give up and walk away from her, Naruto snatched a napkin from the counter, scribbled her number and shoved it at him. He caught the napkin and looked down at it then back up at her, startled.

“Take it before I change my mind,” she muttered, blushing heavily herself. God, she was going to regret this, wasn’t she? She then began to serve the poor woman in line behind him, but noticed him slowly walking away, still holding the napkin tight.

That night, he texted her, much more calm and collected than he’d been earlier that day in the cafe. She waited an hour before replying. They went out for dinner two days later. And despite her previous fears, she didn’t regret a thing.

 

 

 

It was surprising how different Sasuke was from her initial impression, and just how complex of a person he ended up being. Months into their relationship, she’d find herself feeling a little guilty over how quickly she’d judged him, especially when she was usually against such a thing. Whenever she mentioned it, he would smirk and call her an overemotional sap.

That dinner, what was meant to be the harmless, innocent first date developed into so much more. They spoke about their pasts and their hopes for the future, their families, and their childhoods. Naruto told Sasuke about how both her parents died when she was just a baby, leading her to be raised in an orphanage for most of her life. She had never been adopted or fostered by any of the countless faces who had stopped by to observe the kids. 

In high school, her only friend was Sakura, who had been assigned as her math tutor in senior year. She left both high school and the system as an optimistic eighteen year old and was lucky enough to find work at a local cafe as well as odd babysitting jobs, and was now trying to build a life of her own. She was glad his eyes didn’t fill with pity or empty sympathy. Instead, he just listened attentively to her story, and when she was done he told her she was the bravest person he’d ever met. 

“I mean it,” he said quietly as she waved her hand dismissively. 

“Tell me about yourself,” Naruto said, changing the topic. 

Sasuke shrugged, as though there was nothing particularly interesting to say. He was twenty-seven — four years older than her — and was born and raised in Japan. He eventually decided to study and work in the West, going into the hectic and competitive field of finance. His father, mother and brother were still in Tokyo, running the family business.

“That’s sweet,” Naruto said pleasantly. She’d always been enchanted by the idea of wholesome family-owned businesses. “Why did you leave Japan? It seems awesome there.”

He shrugged again. “My family’s rather…traditional and I wanted to do my own thing. They didn’t like that very much, so I decided to leave. I worked in London for a few years, and got a promotion in the company to transfer here a year ago.”

“So now you’re a super important businessman climbing up the ranks,” she teased. “They must be very impressed and bragging to everyone they know.”

Sasuke smiled at her over his wine glass, but it looked a lot like a grimace.

The rest of the night went well, the conversation flowing smoothly as they discussed a variety of topics. Naruto would make stupid jokes and Sasuke would either roll his eyes in mock-annoyance or give a tiny, tiny smile that she knew was his equivalent of a guffaw. Though he could be overly contemplative and sarcastic at times, Naruto gave as good as she got and soon learned he was also witty, intelligent and attentive, and that despite their opposite personalities he was surprisingly good company. 

She also found herself thinking about how good-looking he was and how kissable his lips were, and how love bites would stand out on the pale skin of his throat. Damn it, her stupid hormones and six-month celibacy stretch were making her extra thirsty. But from the way he would stare at her hungrily when he thought she wasn’t looking, she figured he was feeling the same way too. 

Afterwards, she let Sasuke call her a cab, and she also let him kiss her on the cheek goodbye (she might have been extra thirsty, but she reigned it in), smiling happily when he said he wanted to do it again sometime soon. ‘Sometime soon’ was later that week, as they met up for lunch downtown. Naruto got to eat a sandwich the size of her face and see Sasuke in a suit again, so that was great. 

They went out a few more times until their sixth date, when he invited her over to his house so he could cook dinner for her. She’d given Sakura the full address and had promised to text her by midnight to let her know everything was okay (they both watched too many episodes of CSI to do otherwise). Mai had also crudely told Naruto to expect to get ‘dicked down’ by Sasuke and to prepare accordingly. Indeed, as she walked into his stunning downtown that night, she couldn’t help but think about what the night would bring. 

Naruto found herself liking Sasuke even more in the privacy of his home. When they’d gone out together, he always seemed a little tense and on edge. But now as they drank wine in his living room and talked about their day, waiting for the delicious-smelling food to finish cooking in the oven, he was much more relaxed and outspoken. He spoke freely about what was on his mind, ranting about his ‘stupid fucking moron’ of a colleague who’d misplaced vital documents the day before an important meeting, or how annoying and demanding clients could be.

“Your job seems so stressful,” Naruto murmured. “And here I thought working in the cafe was tough.”

“That seems impossible to me,” said Sasuke honestly. “You’ve got to interact with people all day. At least I get to work independently — if I had to see my annoying colleagues all day, I’d shoot myself.”

Naruto laughed. His abrasive personality was quickly beginning to grow on her. 

“Your apartment is so nice,” Naruto said for the second time that night, looking around. “It’s crazy. You’re so accomplished, but you’re not even that much older than me. And I’m…I’m just me.” She sighed, looking down at her feet and shaking her head in frustration. “Sorry. Don’t mean to be such a downer.”

Sasuke put his glass down on the coffee table as he replied, “I had a really lucky start in life, and a very privileged upbringing.” He reached out to hesitantly take Naruto’s hands in his own. “You don’t need to compare yourself to anybody else, Naruto, especially not me. You’re amazing all on your own.”

Naruto looked up at him and saw how earnest he looked, his dark eyes reflecting the genuineness of his words. She felt her heart begin to beat rapidly as she realised he was still holding her hands. Before she could stop herself, she leaned in and kissed him.

Sasuke froze, and that split-second of hesitation was enough for Naruto to come to her senses and pull away. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. “That was so rude of me! I-”

“Don’t be an idiot,” said Sasuke, a smile playing on his lips. “You just took me by surprise.” 

He swiftly leaned in and kissed her deeply, soft lips moving hotly against her own enthusiastic ones. Naruto thought fuck it, and wrapped her arms his neck, grinning as he moved closer to her. She could feel the toned muscles of his chest pressing against her and she sighed, lips falling open slightly. 

Before long, she felt his tongue licking at the insides of her mouth and she moaned, trying to pull him even closer as raw desire pooled in her belly. She wanted it, wanted him desperately, and nearly whined when he pulled away from the kiss — only for her to inhale shakily as Sasuke’s lips began moving down her neck, tasting and savouring the tanned skin of her throat, caressing softly with his tongue and teeth, hands gripping her waist tight as he kissed down her collarbone. 

“Does that feel good?” he murmured. 

Naruto ran her fingers through his impossibly soft hair, shutting her eyes as her head fell back in pleasure. “Yes,” she breathed.

She pulled his head up to kiss his lips again. A steady ache had begun to throb between her legs, and she could feel his hardness pressing against her thigh as he shifted on top of her. 

Suddenly the sound of an alarm rang through the apartment, and they pulled away from each other, startled. Then Sasuke scowled. “The kitchen timer,” he said, looking annoyed.

Naruto smiled, looking up at him from where she now lay on the couch. His lips were red and swollen, his cheeks flushed and his hair all messy. In other words, he looked delicious. Part of her wanted to drag him down and have her way with him already, but she was seriously starving, and now that the moment had been interrupted she felt a little awkward and self-conscious.

The pair ate a delicious dinner (steak and potatoes) and had a little bit more wine. Naruto tried to ease her nerves by talking loudly about how wonderful the food was, and how delicious everything was, and did he go to culinary school or something because everything was so amazing. Sasuke said very little as he ate his meal, but stared at her hungrily as though he’d much rather be eating her instead. 

They cleared up together afterwards, with Sasuke washing the dishes and Naruto drying them even though he told her to just sit down. Naruto found herself staring at Sasuke’s hands, and thinking about how much taller he was, and how strong and powerful his body had felt when it was pressed against hers. The more their hands accidentally brushed, the more she wanted it. Before long, the heat in her belly and the ache between her legs returned. 

They finished up, Sasuke drying his hands on a washcloth. She swallowed as he slowly turned to face her and walked over to her so they were just inches apart, gazing down at her face with his dark, inescapable eyes. She stared up at him as he reached up to caress the side of her face in his warm strong hand, pressing his thumb against her bottom lip.

Feeling daring, Naruto took his thumb between her lips. His face opened in surprise as she ran her tongue over the finger and sucked on it slowly, her eyes never leaving his. She felt reckless and drunk on arousal, and the raw desire in his gaze made her want it even more. She was glad when he groaned and snatched his hand away, finally making his move. Naruto gasped in surprise as he lifted her up in his arms and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him back desperately, hands burying in his hair as he moved them to his bedroom. It was only when they made it inside that he pulled away from Naruto, depositing her gently on the bed, hands tugging at her clothes.

“Take these off,” said Naruto, her own hands pulling at his dress shirt, and he did as he was told. 

Before long, they were both naked and kissing deeply, Sasuke settled between her legs. She could feel his thick length pressed hard against her inner thigh, and she wanted it so badly she could cry. His mouth felt so hot and warm against hers. She couldn’t stop running her hands over his toned, muscled chest and his strong back, her tanned skin contrasting with his pale flesh. His own hands were toying with her heavy breasts, his fingers playing with her nipples and making her moan. Naruto felt on fire, each and every caress of his electric, and she was so far gone she could barely keep up and try to make him feel good too. 

But despite it all, despite the desire and desperation and how insanely turned on she was, Naruto felt a little nervous. It had been a long time, after all, and she didn’t want to ruin things with Sasuke. Not when things were going so well.

Suddenly, Sasuke pulled away, frowning down at her. “Naruto,” he said, his voice desperate.

Damn it. She’d messed things up, hadn’t she? Was she a terrible kisser? Or just blatantly unattractive? Or had he finally come to his senses and realised she was an under-achieving dumbass unworthy of even being a one night stand?

Naruto blinked up at him. He looked a lot like he did earlier, when he was on top of her and had pulled away from their kiss, but now his face was all flushed and his breathing a lot more erratic. Oh, he looked so beautiful, she was going to miss it. And she hadn’t even gotten the D yet, not fully. Life was unfair.

“Yes?” she sighed, ready to get her things and leave. 

“I just want to say,” Sasuke breathed. “And I know this is going to sound crazy because we haven’t even — I mean, it’s really early on and everything. But I really, really like you.” He paused, scowling at himself. “That sounded so fucking cheesy.”

Naruto burst out laughing, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I like you too. It’s crazy,” she whispered, blushing a little. “I’ve never felt like this about someone.”

“Me too,” Sasuke said, smiling down at her. He leaned down to kiss her again, melting away all her fears and anxieties, and Naruto knew everything was going to be okay.

 

 

 

The next morning at work, Naruto was pretty much a contender for employee of the month. She smiled at every customer and greeted them happily. She whistled cheerfully as she cleaned the bathrooms, counted all the stock, finished the new orders, and did pretty much everything her boss asked of her without a single complaint. 

Hana, noticing the change in her behaviour, sidled up to her with a smile as she wiped down counter during a quiet moment. “So, Naruto, I take it things went well last night?”

“Well?” repeated Naruto. “Are you kidding me? It was amazing, Hana! It was insane. The best night of my life. The stuff he did to me…I’m telling you, this guy is not human. I think I might be in love with him. Or maybe I’m in love with his d-”

“I’m glad to hear you enjoyed yourself,” said a deep familiar voice. 

Naruto froze and looked at Hana, who was giggling. “You’re horrible,” she hissed. Hana merely winked and walked away.

Naruto turned to confront Sasuke, who was smirking down at her. He looked amazing, as always, wearing a well-tailored navy blue suit that made her want to jump him right then and there. But she didn’t want to lose her job or get arrested for public indecency, so she settled with saying, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” replied Sasuke, still smirking. “I’ll get a cappuccino, please.”

Naruto made the cappuccino, and was blushing like a madwoman as she handed the drink over. Sasuke took the drink and said, in a low voice, “I’ll see you later.”

Naruto blushed and nodded slowly, knowing he meant it. Her heart pounded in anticipation, even though she didn’t know when ‘later’ was, or what it would bring. 

“Naruto!” snapped her boss suddenly, making her jump. “What did that man say to you?”

“Oh, nothing,” she lied. “He was just saying thank you.”

Her boss scowled and walked away. Naruto leaned back against the counter, smiling to herself. She knew it was way too soon, and rather outrageous to any sane person’s standards, but she hadn’t been exaggerating to Hana about one specific thing. She was head over heels in love with Sasuke Uchiha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm going to see the movie (Crazy Rich Asians) tomorrow with my best friend. I'm so excited haha.
> 
> I was nervous about this chapter for a variety of reasons. It's all set before the events of the story and is pretty much a flashback to Naruto's first dates with Sasuke. I was worried it would slow the plot down in the eyes of the reader. But rest assured, we will be back in the present day in the next chapter.
> 
> Also, I hope the smut wasn't too bad. I've written actual hardcore (Explicit) smut before and I actually feel more comfortable doing that because pretty much anything goes... but this was my first time writing it under the 'Mature' rating so I wasn't entirely sure what I couldn't feature. I've read M-rated fics on here where the characters do pretty much everything, and M-rated ones where they just kiss. Lmao. 
> 
> Anyway, feel free to leave a comment. It made me so happy reading them last time. If you've got any criticism or suggestions, fire away. 
> 
> Have a great day/afternoon/evening and thank you so much for reading. <3 <3


	3. The Shock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched the movie (twice) and I loved it. Enjoy this new chapter.

 

 

 

Meanwhile in Tokyo, Sai sat in the swanky, stylish conference room on the second floor of the Yamanaka office building, earnestly taking notes and paying attention to the woman across him. Ino looked so beautiful today, even if she was busy painting her nails and ignoring him completely (as always). But then Inoichi-sama mentioned two important upcoming meetings — one in Japan, one in New York — and how he was struggling to determine which he should attend. 

Sai was still working his way up the ladder, and most people saw him as little more than a butler for the Yamanaka family. This was why he never volunteered to represent them at significant meetings. He knew he’d get shut down straight away. The Yamanakas never trusted him with such important tasks — they thought he was too ‘creepy’ to properly bond with potential business partners — but as he sat there, sitting across from his beloved Ino, he couldn’t help but seize the chance to impress her. 

“Inoichi-sama,” Sai said in his ‘gentle’ tone. “I know you have that crucial meeting with the Inuzukas this weekend in Osaka—”

“Ugh, those mongrels,” scoffed Ino, blowing on her freshly-painted nails. 

“—So why not let me close the deal with the Johnsons?” Sai suggested tamely. “I could catch a flight right away.”

Inoichi Yamanaka, the head of the family name, paused and looked over his documents at Sai. “Why should I let you go, Sai? You are not from this family.”

Inwardly, Sai scowled. But he looked at Ino — perfect, beautiful Ino — and felt his heart soften. He smiled and said, “That is true. I am not a Yamanaka in name, but I have served your family for years, Inoichi-sama. Please trust me with this. I will not let you down.”

Inoichi considered it for a long time, his clear blue eyes never leaving Sai’s dark ones. “Really, I think it would be best if a Yamanaka went…” he brooded. He looked over the table at his daughter, who was now focused on decorating her dried nails with little silver jewels. 

“Don’t even think about it, Daddy,” Ino warned loudly, not even looking up from her nails. “We’re celebrating Shikamaru’s engagement this weekend. I’m not going anywhere — especially not for business,” she hissed the last word, disgusted by the mere concept of doing work. 

A few other Yamanaka family members roll their eyes at her insolence. Sai wanted to rip their throats out. How dare they disrespect Ino? How dare they mock her? 

“All you do is party,” sighed Inoichi, rubbing at his temples. After twenty-five years of dealing with Ino’s brattiness, he was simply tired. “You are the heir to the family name. It’s about time you learned about responsibility, Ino.”

At those words, Ino finally looked up. Sai’s heart almost skipped a beat as her sapphire blue orbs glanced over at him — for a brief second, they appeared somewhat cold and calculating. Sai felt a chill go down his spine.

Then Ino looked back at her father and grinned sheepishly, and Sai determined that it was probably a trick of the light. “You’re right, Dad. I’m sorry. I’m just really, really excited for Shikamaru’s party.” She looked down at the table almost fondly. “We’ve been friends since we were babies. And you’ve been friends with his dad since _you_ were babies. I can’t believe he’s getting married, and I just don’t want to miss a thing, you know?” 

This time, when she looked up at them all, her blue eyes were full of tears. It made Sai’s heart pound rapidly. Ino was — Ino was — so pure and gentle. He wanted to lean over the table and tuck her soft blonde hair behind her ear and hold her tight and wipe her tears away and kiss her face all over and —

“Sai should go,” Ino said. Sai almost screamed in excitement as she uttered his name and fixed her gaze on him. “He’s reliable, smart, and he works fast. You should go to the Inuzukas, close the deal with them, and I’ll stay here.”

“And party?” said Inoichi, voice full of doubt and mistrust.

Ino laughed, rolling her eyes. “Yes! But not for too long. I promise, as soon as the party’s over, I’ll be back here working hard.”

Inoichi still didn’t look fully convinced, but after a moment’s consideration he sighed, nodded and glanced at Sai. “Very well, Sai. I want you to leave for New York right away. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Johnsons’ organisation…?”

“I know the case inside and out, sir,” responded Sai immediately. 

Inoichi nodded and resumed his earlier droning on about the state of the Yamanaka business. But Sai was barely listening. All he could do was think of his sweet Ino and how she had trusted him, and in that moment he vowed would never let her down. He was one step closer to becoming Sai Yamanaka, cherished husband of Ino Yamanaka, future father of her children. A force to be reckoned with. 

As they walked out of the conference room and everybody went their separate ways, resuming their respective duties, Sai immediately stalked over to Ino, who was busy texting on her phone. 

“Ino-san,” he said, using his ‘devoted’ tone. “Thank you so much for trusting me with this task. I swear, I won’t disappoint—“

“Shut up, Sai,” Ino snapped, looking up from her screen. “You’re such a creep, you know that?”

Sai froze. “But Ino-san—“

“I know you have the hots for me. Gosh, could you be any more obvious about it? I saw you peeping through my window last month.”

“I thought I was being discreet,” Sai whispered weakly.

Ino continued, “The only reason I haven’t fired you yet is because you’re useful,” she hissed, leaning in close. Sai thought being close to Ino would be an orgasmic experience, but all he felt now was scared and sad. 

“Like what just happened in the conference room. I used you to get out of my stupid fucking responsibilities as the Yamanaka heiress. So whatever bullshit cutesy picture you might have of us in the future, getting married and living happily-ever-after with kids and a dog and a swimming pool, isn’t going to fucking happen. I know the man I’m going to marry, and it sure as hell isn’t you.”

Then she turned on her heel, smacking Sai in the face with her long blonde ponytail. Sai numbly registered the flowery scent of her shampoo as she walked away, clutching her iPhone X tight (even though it hadn’t been officially released).

But then Sai heard himself speak up. “Who?” he croaked, gazing after the love of his life. “Who, Ino?!”

Ino paused. She turned around, her smile cold and terrible. “Uchiha Sasuke,” she declared. And then she was gone.

 

 

 

 

She may have treated him like trash, but there was no way Sai was going to stop loving Ino. Even though he knew they’d never be together. She was perfect, damn it! She was beautiful and smart and charismatic. He’d never love anybody else the way he loved her. He just knew it.

Uchiha Sasuke, he thought to himself solemnly. It was hardly surprising, all things considered. Perhaps ambitious, but that was his Ino — always aiming for the stars. 

Sasuke was the youngest son of the current head of the Uchiha family, undoubtedly the richest and most powerful family in all of Tokyo — perhaps all of Japan. In terms of reputation, nobody rivalled them. The Uchiha were gods in the business world, dominating their rivals across the entire Asian continent with relative ease, maintaining cordial ties with opponents but their annual figures always reminded everybody of who was truly boss. Whatever they set their sights on, they wanted: electronics, hotels, airlines — unlike other powerful families who usually specialised in one trade, such as the Yamanaka, who focused on jewellery. And most importantly, the Uchiha were old money. They’d been powerful and rich for what seemed like forever. The Yamanakas had started out as a humble stall in the dirty streets of Kobe, selling plastic flowers and fake jewels — a cute little tale used as a selling point in their television adverts, but it was all a bit embarrassing when compared to the longevity of the Uchiha family’s flawless legacy.

The Uchiha were fashion icons and media darlings. There were websites dedicated to following their latest move —fawning over Shisui’s new haircut; what the twins Midori and Misa wore to New York Fashion Week; how adorable Obito and Rin’s newborn son’s leaked baby pictures were — and naturally, their love lives were a massive source of media speculation. Yet through it all, the Uchiha remained…distant. Untouchable, one might even say. No matter how close people tried to get, they remained mysterious and shadowy. They would tease the public with their presence at exclusive parties, red carpet events, even late-night talk shows — but they kept themselves carefully closed-off, associating and interacting mostly with their own kind, thus preventing any potential scandal or controversy a lowly outsider might cause. 

Sasuke’s older brother Itachi had been the golden boy of the Uchiha family, and was once Japan’s most eligible bachelor. He graduated top of his class at Oxford University, he was charismatic, intelligent, with a natural aptitude for business and enterprise. Not to mention, he was drop-dead gorgeous, with those classic dark Uchiha eyes and hair and smooth, high cheekbones. Itachi’s string of girlfriends — models, J-pop stars, aristocratic heiresses — were always the subject of public discussion. 

But that all suddenly changed five years ago when Fugaku, the family head, decided to move to Kyoto to oversee the Uchiha family’s line of business in that city. His heir, Itachi, had stepped up to take over the Tokyo headquarters, and became the leader of the Uchiha Corporation in all but name. And as a result, Itachi had effectively retreated from the public spotlight. Gone were the girlfriends, the massive parties, the bad-boy tendencies that had caused a legion of devoted fangirls to follow his every move. They were still dedicated to him, of course. People were proud that their beloved Itachi was finally getting his fair dues and stepping up to prepare himself for his eventual responsibilities. But as time passed and they realised Itachi’s disappearance wasn’t just a phase, but rather a defining aspect of his new self…and as the media lost interested and set their sights elsewhere, even they became frustrated.

Naturally, their attentions turned to Sasuke. Sai was certain that was when Ino’s love for the man first began. Sasuke was still quite young at the time, fresh out of Cambridge University (where he was also top of his graduating class) and still re-adjusting to life in Tokyo. He was still very handsome (to some, even more handsome than his brother), intelligent, and ambitious. But what was truly interesting about Sasuke was how prickly he was. Itachi had entertained the media and his fans with gentle, pleasant smiles. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn’t give a fuck. He rarely attended the huge parties and festivities thrown by either his own family or other wealthy families around the city, and when he did, his face was surly and annoyed the entire time. He responded to questions by the media in harsh, clipped tones. He outright rejected his own growing group of fangirls by telling them to get real jobs, and he even got into fights with some overenthusiastic paparazzi (a video managed to amass up to 2 million views of YouTube, until it was taken down and all evidence of the event was suspiciously deleted from the Internet). Most interestingly, Sasuke never had girlfriends. There were rumours he’d have a few one night stands here and there, but there was no evidence to such claims — and either way, nothing ever came from it. It was this cold, detached nature of his that made him so fascinating in the eyes of the public. 

That fascination was forced to come to an end when Sasuke left the country two years ago, leaving behind nothing but rumours and questions. Nobody was entirely sure where he went. Some said he’d joined his father in Kyoto, others said he was launching a new Uchiha company in Singapore. A spokesperson for the Uchiha family merely said Sasuke was continuing to work hard, and urged the public to respect his privacy. This, combined with Itachi’s silence, made the Uchiha family appear all the more alluring and interesting. 

“Oh, Ino,” Sai whispered to himself sadly. “Why can’t you see that I’d love you more than Sasuke ever could?” He suddenly felt viciously angry. “He’s nothing but a rich boy who’s never known true struggle, suffering or loss. I’d give you the world.”

He sighed deeply, the pangs of love and heartbreak causing him nothing but despair, and then he got up to leave for the airport. He had a flight to catch, after all. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sai waltzed out of the New York office building, feeling lighter than ever. He closed the deal with the Johnsons excellently, impressing them with his wide knowledge of their business history. The CEO, a burly man named Bill, kept shaking his hand and slapping him on the back. Americans were certainly a very hands-on people. Still, Sai was confident he’d represented the Yamanakas well, and he couldn’t wait to tell Inoichi-sama the good news. If he kept this up, not even Ino could reject him.

He deserved a treat. He smiled to himself as he saw a cafe down the street — a little on the small and cheap-looking side, but he found such places often held a more ‘cosy’ vibe and hosted a variety of the most interesting people. He crossed the street and walked into the cafe, already looking forward to ordering a pumpkin spice latte (his favourite!). 

Sai chose a window seat and began studying the menu intensely. A few moments later he heard a waitress approach him, tapping her notepad with a little pencil. 

“Good morning, sir,” the woman said cheerfully. “What can I get you?” 

Sai looked up and almost choked. He knew this woman! She was the blonde beauty he’d had a little fun with at a shady New York club over a year ago! Her hair was a little longer now, and she was wearing a ghastly brown uniform instead of that tight blue dress (the nametag read ‘NARUTO’) — but it was still definitely her. Sai never forgot a face. He could easily remember the look of disgust and anger blazing in the woman’s blue eyes as he touched her breasts — eyes that reminded him so heavily of his dear Ino. Indeed, that was the root of the entire thing. 

A year ago, Sai had been stationed in New York running mundane errands for the Yamanakas (as usual). It was his first time in the Big Apple and he wanted to experience its nightlife. It just so happened that he had been feeling a little lovesick at the time. A few nights prior, he’d been watching Ino’s apartment from a tree when he saw her enter her bedroom, in the arms of a tall and muscular man with brown hair. Her legs had been wrapped around his waist as they kissed deeply. Sai had felt so sick to his stomach upon witnessing the scene that he nearly fell out of the tree, furious and devastated that the love of his life was enamoured with another man. 

So he found himself in the club that night, trying to ease his mind, and spotted her at the bar. She was a little on the short side, with blonde hair and tanned skin and delicious curves. Not much like Ino at all, who was tall and willowy with much paler hair and skin. Not to mention, this girl’s face was nowhere near as doll-like as Ino’s. In all honesty, one could easily consider her ugly. But still, there was something about her he found interesting, so he sidled up to her and began talking to her kindly. He bought her a drink and admired her as she happily accepted his advances, but had blown the whole thing by getting overexcited and groping her. When her friends arrived (including one scary-looking pink-haired woman) he retreated from battle and returned to his hotel, where he fell asleep looking at the Ino folder of his iPhone’s camera roll.

“Excuse me, sir?” the woman was saying, blue eyes wide in confusion.

Sai shook his head, jolted from his reminiscences. So, she didn’t remember him. That was good — he didn’t want to make a scene, and he knew from experience that this woman had no problem doing so. 

“Ah, yes. Sorry about that,” Sai said, using his ‘apologetic’ tone. “I’m afraid I drifted off into a daydream. I’ll take a pumpkin spice latte, please.” 

The woman bit her lip apologetically, fiddling with her apron. “Sorry, sir. We only do PSLs in the fall. It’s summer now, so…”

Sai nodded briskly. “A cappuccino, then.”

She smiled and took his menu from him, walking over to the counter to prepare his simple order. Sai smiled to himself, feeling a little smug about the whole thing. 

But then things became even more interesting when an even more familiar man strolled into the cafe. He was tall, with pale skin and dark hair. His suit was Armani (Sai often ordered the exact same kind for Inoichi ahead of important press conferences), and there was the glimpse of an expensive wristwatch as he lifted his hand in greeting to the blonde woman behind the counter. Sai never forgot a face, and he felt his blood turn cold as he recognised the man. 

Sasuke Uchiha walked past Sai, who was holding his breath in a mixture of horror and fascination, and made his way to ‘Naruto’, who smiled at him. Sai almost threw up as Sasuke smiled back, the appearance making him looking like a different person entirely. Sasuke Uchiha! Smiling! Sai pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t in the middle of a very weird dream.

“Hey, you,” said Naruto, voice fond. “What are you doing here?”

Sasuke sighed, leaning onto the counter with an elbow. “Couldn’t spend another second in that fucking office. Everybody’s pissing me off,” he muttered, looking seriously annoyed. Then his face softened as he looked at Naruto and added, “So I came here to see you.” 

No way! Was this — this — waitress Sasuke’s lover? Impossible. An Uchiha associating himself with such a lowly person…it was inconceivable. It was downright impossible. But Sai couldn’t ignore the closeness between them as they flirted, or how Sasuke looked softer and happier than he could ever possibly imagine. 

Naruto blushed. “You’re so embarrassing.”

The Uchiha smirked, leaning in even closer. Sai watched with wide eyes and held breath as Sasuke kissed the blonde woman on the lips. She kissed him back happily, even wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing contently. Sai shakily reached for his phone and discreetly took a picture of the scene. 

Naruto pulled away from Sasuke with an amused expression. “You seriously need to stop visiting me at work,” she scolded. “Some customers complained to my boss about us making out. I can’t lose this job, Sasuke.”

“What’s wrong with me coming to see my beautiful girlfriend?” Sasuke demanded. The word ‘girlfriend’ made Sai almost let out a whimper of shock and disgust, but he focused on taking another picture instead. He could use this. He could use this!

“But fine,” Sasuke continued. “I should get back to work, anyway. I’ll see you tonight.” 

Naruto grinned, and leaned in to peck him on the lips again. “See you. Remember, we have to start looking at flight tickets, so don’t be late!”

Sasuke nodded and made his way out of the cafe, resuming a much more Uchiha-like expression of perpetual detachment and boredom. Naruto smiled after him for a long moment, and then got back to work making Sai’s cappuccino. 

Minutes later, as Sai sipped the hot drink, he calmed himself down and thought about the situation carefully. So Sasuke Uchiha was in New York, and not Kyoto or Kobe or anywhere in Asia as many had assumed. The Uchiha family owned a number of buildings in the Big Apple…Sai would have to look into which one Sasuke seemed to be working for. But more importantly, this Naruto woman was the last person on Earth he’d expect Sasuke to be dating. One could write her off as a meaningless girlfriend, but the closeness between them was something nobody could deny — not even Sai himself. They were nothing like Itachi and his flings. And yet Ino seemed determined to make Sasuke hers. Sai grinned, secretly thanking Naruto for nipping that scenario in the bud.

But still…Ino would not give up on Sasuke, he knew. Sasuke had been out of the country for years now, and she was still enamoured with the man. Even before he’d left, Sasuke had been nothing but a prickly bastard. He remembered him shoving Ino away at a Akimichi family party one night, when she’d gotten a little over-excited around him. All of that cruel behaviour from Sasuke, and she still wanted him.

Sai calmly opened up his Messages app and sent Ino the photos he’d just taken of Sasuke and his waitress paramour. No caption attached, of course. 

 

 

 

 

 

As expected, he received a phone call twenty seconds later. He took a deep breath and picked up.

“WAS THAT SASUKE FUCKING UCHIHA?” Ino screamed from the other end of the line.

Sai inhaled at the sound of her voice. Terrifying yet lovely. “Yes, Ino-san. I thought you might be interested—“

“Who was that fucking BITCH he was kissing? That little blonde _skank_?” 

“…A waitress, Ino-san. She works here in New York. She appears to be Sasuke-san’s girlfriend.”

Ino let out a terrible laugh. “No way. No fucking way. Sasuke-kun would never date someone so trashy. He’s an Uchiha, for God’s sake.” Then she paused. “…Are you serious, Sai?”

“Yes, Ino-san,” Sai said, using his ‘innocent’ tone. “They were discussing flight tickets. I think he’ll be bringing her to Shikamaru-san’s wedding.”

Silence. Then Ino screamed at the top of her lungs — a devastating noise full of rage and pain. Sai inched away from his phone as she shrieked, “Get another picture of that bitch and send it to me now! Shika’s wedding? Are you fucking kidding me? Who knows about this, Sai?”

“Nobody, I don’t think,” Sai replied quietly. He kept up to date with all the gossip regarding Tokyo’s rich and famous, and he hadn’t heard anything about Sasuke at all in a very long time. 

“Send me that picture,” Ino ordered, and then she hung up.

Sai looked at his phone screen for a long time, feeling a mixture of happiness (at hearing Ino’s voice), devastation (upon realising she only cared about Sasuke) and excitement. He took another discreet picture of Naruto, who was busy cleaning the countertops and whistling cheerfully, and sent it to Ino. Then he sat back and continued enjoying his cappuccino. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ino Yamanaka was seething. She was so angry she was shaking. The last time she’d been this furious was — oh God, she didn’t even know when. 

Ino looked at the pictures sent from Sai with shaking hands. Who was this blonde bitch? She looked so tacky and cheap and ugly. With that hair, one might even say she was a cheap knockoff of Ino herself. She scrolled to the earlier photos and felt her blood boil all over again. 

But here the woman was, kissing Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, whom Ino hadn’t seen in two years…who never let anybody get close, and was closed-off and deliciously mysterious and detached. The sight of him made her heart sigh in happiness, but then she saw the blonde woman kissing him happily and Ino grew furious once more. 

This girl was a gold-digger. There was no doubt about it. Like many other cheap skanks she wanted the Uchiha fortune for herself, and had sunk her claws into poor Sasuke in order to stake her claim. Perhaps she’d even resorted to witchcraft to get him to fall for her, which was why he couldn’t shake her off easily. 

And the wedding…Sasuke was bringing her to Shika and Temari’s wedding? _Seriously?_ The Nara heir and the daughter of Asia’s biggest oil tycoon… the wedding was already being considered Tokyo’s event of the decade by numerous media publications. Everybody worth a damn would be making an appearance there. So if Sasuke was really bringing this woman with him, that meant he was…serious about her.  


 

Ino scowled. Did his family know? Did his family already meet her? No, probably not. Ino had eyes and ears posted and ready to report any sightseeings of Sasuke in Tokyo if he ever returned — which he hadn’t, in two years. So he was probably bringing this woman to meet his family for the first time.

There was no way she’d fit in the world of the Uchiha. The Uchiha barely tolerated other wealthy and powerful families in Tokyo, so how on Earth would they respond to the arrival of such a cheap-looking nobody?! She was sure to sully the family name and cause nothing but disgrace.

“Naruto,” Ino spat. What a tacky and horrific name. She honestly sounded like a stripper. And here she was, thinking Sasuke-kun would prefer someone sophisticated and beautiful and elegant and educated like herself.

She shook her head. No, this would not do. Sai probably sent her those pictures to startle her, so she could get over Sasuke. That creep just didn’t know when to give up. He’d been infatuated with her for years, ever since he first started working for the Yamanakas. She could read him and his desperation like an open book. But Ino wouldn’t let go of Sasuke - and she sure as hell wouldn’t give him up to this ‘Naruto’ woman. 

She thought of Sai again. She hated the creep, but she could use him. He was honestly so obsessed with her, she knew he’d always put her happiness first and do whatever she asked…even if that meant ruining things between Sasuke-kun and this Naruto. It was an entertaining idea. 

Ino opened up her Messages app and sent Sai a message, ordering him to spread the photos around. 

It pained her to do so, but it was a necessary evil. She wasn’t the only woman who had Sasuke in her sights, and she wanted to make sure a storm would be waiting for this Naruto woman when she touched down in Tokyo. If the other desperate bitches demeaned Naruto and made her life hell, Ino could sidle up to the blonde by disguising herself as a friend — which would make her look good in Sasuke’s eyes, too. Then she’d deal the final, devastating blow and just show Sasuke he deserved so much better, she could claim him for herself. 

In a matter of seconds, Ino’s phone was blowing up with notifications from her friends, and the pictures were being spread everywhere. She smiled and sat back as she read the variety of responses and comments, ranging from shock and horror to excitement. It didn’t take long for the gossip and rumours to begin swirling around the internet. 

_OMG! Who is she?_

_Who is this woman?_

_Her name is Naruto? What family is she from?_

_Where did she study?_

_Is he really bringing her to the wedding?_

_Does Itachi-san know about this? Does Mikoto-san?!_

_Someone find her!_

_She looks…cute. A little on the chubby side, though._

_Does Itachi know?  
_

 

 

 

Meanwhile, back in New York, Sasuke Uchiha was sitting on the couch in his apartment, gently petting Kurama the little ginger cat. The cat purred happily and lifted its head up so Sasuke could scratch under his chin, making the Uchiha smile. He was flicking through the television channels and gradually relaxing from his hectic day at the office, waiting for Naruto to come home from work. 

Then his phone rang.

He sighed and reached into his pocket, assuming it was one of the fuckers from the office needing help with something (as usual). Or maybe it was Naruto asking him if he wanted anything from the convenience store (he never did). But then he saw the caller ID and froze.

_Itachi Uchiha._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! What is Itachi going to say?!
> 
> This chapter was so much fun to write. Leave a comment if you enjoyed it...it makes me really happy :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> #prayforsai #pumpkinspicelatteseason


	4. The Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking longer than expected with the update. I've been working so much lately :( Still, I you hope enjoy this new chapter.

Shisui Uchiha was having a bad day.

Admittedly, it was really his own fault. He’d gone out drinking the night before, hitting an exclusive Tokyo nightclub with a few of his more rambunctious cousins, and taken home a beautiful brown-haired woman with an impressive bosom for a night of fun. But the next morning he’d woken up with her delicious naked body wrapped around his own one, and realised he’d overslept. Not by a few minutes or even half an hour, but by two entire hours. He’d missed the crucial meeting with the Tanakas of Kyoto, which he was meant to lead.

Itachi was going to kill him.

“What’s wrong, baby?” the woman beside him — was it Rina or Rei? — whispered blearily as Shisui gaped at the alarm clock, his eyes wide in horror.

She giggled at his expression and placed a hand on his bare thigh. Her fingernails traced a pattern on the skin and then her hand dipped lower, the gaze in her eyes turning hungry. 

But Shisui shoved her away and leapt out of bed, and quickly began putting on his suit from the previous night. It was crumpled and probably didn’t smell too good, but that hardly mattered now. Shisui rushed over to the mirror and fiddled with his tie, moaning in frustration at the sight of his unruly dark hair that always seemed impossible to tame. 

“What’s the rush?” the woman cried as she sat up, concerned at his behaviour.

“I’ve got to get out of here,” he said, reaching for his briefcase and slipping on his shoes. “I’ll see you later, Rei!”

“It’s Rina!” the woman screeched. “Hey! You promised me you’d get me into Shikamaru Nara and Temari’s wedding!” 

“No can do, baby,” Shisui grinned over his shoulder as he turned the doorknob of his apartment and walked out. “You can see yourself out, can’t you?”

As the door shut behind him, Rina glared daggers at him and shrieked, “I’m telling all the blogs you’ve got a tiny dick!” 

Shisui laughed as he sprinted down the stairs and out of the building, amused at the futility of such a threat. Women like her were infatuated with the Uchiha, and always had a hard time realising they weren’t the golden gods they’d envisioned them to be. His head pounded ever so slightly as he rushed to the Uchiha office building — he really needed to stop drinking so much on nights out.

His laughter soon died down as he entered the office building, remembering the meeting and how heavily he’d fucked up, and how Itachi was going to kill him. Shisui approached the assigned conference room, seriously contemplating the idea of escaping the country and assuming a brand new identity to save his own ass. Then he froze.

Inside the conference room, Itachi was leading the meeting with the Tanakas, who looked extremely satisfied. Shisui’s papers and graphs were all being displayed at the front of the room, with the Uchiha heir calmly gesturing towards the figures as though he knew them inside out. Shisui grinned, feeling himself relax. This was Itachi Uchiha, for fuck’s sake. Always prepared, always ready, always the pinnacle of control. You could never catch him off guard. That was why he was running the family business and destined to lead, while fuckers like Shisui would remain in the background.

He caught his cousin’s eye and waved, leaning against the wall. Itachi’s calm expression shifted into a frown for just a moment, revealing his annoyance, but then it was gone as he continued the meeting.

Twenty minutes later, the meeting came to a close. The Tanaka boss shook Itachi’s hand, seemingly content with their deal. Shisui watched as the men walked out of the office, praising Itachi’s intelligence and eye for detail, followed by Uchiha workers who were all proud of their employer’s latest success.

When he was sure Itachi was the only one left in the room, Shisui was about to go in and apologise and explain himself, feeling a little less terrified now he knew Itachi had won the Tanakas over. A successful business deal always put him in a moderately good mood. But then Itachi strolled out of the conference room briskly, talking seriously on his cell phone, looking concerned by whatever news he was receiving. He walked off to his office, utterly absorbed by the conversation. 

Oh well, Shisui thought to himself as he was totally ignored. He was secretly glad for the distraction, as it gave him more time to come up with a bullshit excuse for his misdemeanour over the meeting. He shrugged and went to work.

Two hours later, as he read a mind-numbingly boring report and fantasised about Rina's soft thighs (maybe he should hit her up again?) he got a call from Itachi’s secretary summoning him to his office. Shisui groaned and got up from his desk, stretching lazily as he made his way there.

As he walked into the office, he found Itachi sitting at his desk in front of his computer — nothing new. But the look on his cousin’s face was what surprised Shisui. Instead of looking annoyed or amused at his earlier antics, Itachi’s expression was utterly unreadable.

“You okay, Itachi?” Shisui asked nervously, shutting the door behind him. “Sorry about the meeting. I overslept and…well, you know. But I did prep for it, I swear—”

“This isn’t about your colossal error this morning,” Itachi told him smoothly, his voice giving nothing away. “But I did expect better from you, Shisui.”

Shisui relaxed slightly at that statement, glad Itachi wasn’t too pissed off at him. Still, he felt a little ashamed at his behaviour, and decided to try and take a break from all the partying and sleeping around. “I’m sorry,” he said good-naturedly. “So what’s going on? You don’t look so good.”

Itachi was silent for a long moment, hiding his mouth between his clasped fingers as he frowned at the screen. Then he told Shisui in a detached voice, “Sasuke has a girlfriend.”

Shisui paused, and then raised an eyebrow. That was not what he’d been expecting, given Itachi’s odd mood. “And that’s a problem because…?” he trailed off. When his cousin didn’t respond, he continued, “Itachi, this is a good thing, isn’t it? Your mother will be delighted. She’s been wanting one of you two to get married for ages.”

“Her name is Naruto Uzumaki,” said Itachi. 

“Uzumaki,” repeated Shisui, failing to recognise the name. “Who is she?”

“We don’t know,” replied Itachi darkly. “Nobody knows. She’s a nobody. Just an orphan who works at a coffee shop in New York. She has no family name, no heritage to speak of. She doesn’t even have a university degree.”

Now that was surprising. “Perhaps it’s just a fling,” said Shisui soothingly. “Like Obito’s girls, before he settled down with Rin. It’s even more shameful because Sasuke is in the main family, I agree —but just let him have his fun…and I’m sure it will be over in no time.” He grinned, confident with his claims.

But Itachi merely let out a bitter laugh, unconvinced by the suggestion. “Hardly. During our very interesting phone call, my little brother insisted he was serious about this woman. He loves her, apparently,” he scoffed, waving a hand in the air dismissively. “And he’ll be bringing her to the Nara wedding.” 

Shisui’s eyes widened at the bombshell of revelation, unable to believe it. 

Itachi ignored his stunned reaction and went on, “The same wedding he is to serve as the best man — a position I secured him through very hard work. I mean, I’m sure my prickly little brother was quite surprised when he got the phone call requesting him to take on the role. They originally wanted the Akimichi boy — the fat one, you know — because he’s actually close with the Nara, and Sasuke is rather unlikeable.” 

Shisui almost let out a laugh at the obvious statement — Sasuke was a bastard and everyone knew it — but he changed his mind when he saw the deathly look on Itachi’s face. 

Itachi continued, “But I convinced them it would be good publicity for the wedding. And in exchange, I would be able to bring Sasuke home.” He smiled humourlessly, clenching his jaw. “So lo and behold when I learn Sasuke has no intentions of coming home, not really, and that he’s quite taken with this nameless disgrace of a woman. And even better, the information got leaked online by an anonymous source. So now I’ve got the entire Nara family breathing down my throat, demanding to know who this Uzumaki Naruto is. And the Akimichi. And the Yamanaka. And even the fucking Hyuuga!” 

Itachi slammed his fist onto the desk furiously, his face twisted into an expression of rage. Shisui’s heart pounded in fear. The Uchiha heir rarely showed such an unhappy side of himself, instead choosing to hide his emotions behind a careful, stoic mask of discipline and self-control. 

Shisui responded carefully, “I’ll take care of those families, Itachi. And I’ll find out who leaked the information.” 

At this statement, Itachi slowly let out a deep breath and nodded. The room settled into an uneasy, tense silence, with both men getting lost in their own dark thoughts.

Shisui still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of Sasuke falling in love with someone, let alone defying his older brother — whom he had always respected and even feared — by bringing her to such a highly publicised and iconic event. It sounded nothing like the Sasuke he had watched grow up, a Sasuke who was always careful and collected. Uzumaki Naruto, hmm? After dealing with the annoying other families, Shisui would have to do some intense research. 

Itachi pierced the silence in the office by letting out a troubled sigh. He rubbed at his temples. He was famed for his youthful good looks, but right now he looked older than his thirty-five years. “I was a fool to let him leave the country,” he said quietly.

“You did what you thought was right,” Shisui told him. “You can’t blame yourself, Itachi.”

“It was the wrong thing,” Itachi insisted, smiling down at his desk ruefully. He seemed consumed by regret. He tapped a pen onto the dark mahogany and continued, “Because now he’s changed. He’s forgotten who he is.”

He looked up at Shisui, his dark eyes suddenly fierce and determined. “But we’re going to make him remember.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Okay!” announced Naruto, doing a ridiculous little victory dance around their living room. “Here it is!”

She held up her brand new passport, grinning madly. However, Sasuke merely gave her a very sarcastic thumbs up from his place on the couch and soon went back to poking a disgruntled Kurama, who was attempting to sleep.

“Asshole,” Naruto laughed, rolling her eyes. “This is a big deal for me!”

It really was. Naruto was about to go on her first trip outside of the States, all the way to Japan no less. ‘Excited’ was an understatement. It was something she’d been dreaming of since childhood, a concept she’d dismissed as impossible and unfathomable — until now.

Sasuke didn’t really seem to get it. He’d travelled plenty of times in his life and considered it more tedious than anything else. Plus, he was already from Japan, so there wasn’t anything new for him to see and discover. If anything, the whole experience must have felt more like a homecoming. Naruto just hoped he didn’t mind playing the role of tourist guide during their trip, because she was determined to have the time of her life.

Naruto tucked her passport away and collapsed on the couch beside him, reaching over to hold his hand. “You must be so excited to see your family again,” she said.

Sasuke grimaced. “I guess,” he mumbled noncommittally. 

Kurama, annoyed with Sasuke’s prodding and poking, leapt off the couch and away from the man’s reach. Naruto laughed at the betrayed expression on her boyfriend’s face before leaning against him, smiling when he squeezed her hand.

“What are they like?” Naruto inquired. “Your family, I mean.”

Sasuke paused. “They’re like every other family, I suppose,” he replied carefully.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. “Really? That’s why you look sick every time I mention them?” 

“I do not!” snapped Sasuke, looking deeply scandalised. Naruto cackled at his reaction, which irritated him further. Sasuke often called her a Professional Nuisance because nobody could quite annoy him like she did. She was secretly very proud of the title.

Then Sasuke sighed and shrugged. “I have a pretty big family,” he admitted. “And like all big families, there’s a real mix of people. Some are assholes. Some are decent. And some are just plain weird.” He glared at her half-heartedly and added, “Like you.”

Naruto grinned at the revelation. “Sounds juicy,” she said. “Tell me about some of these characters.”

“Hmm,” said Sasuke, thinking carefully. “Well, there’s my uncle Obito. You’ll probably like him. He’s loud and crazy and always causing trouble. When he gets really drunk, he puts on an antique mask and starts talking in a high-pitched voice and pretends his name is Tobi.”

Naruto laughed, picturing the bizarre scene. “What the hell?” 

“I know,” smirked Sasuke. “It’s hell for his poor wife. She’s called Rin. She’s pretty nice. They’ve got a kid together and everything. He’s a year old, I think.”

“Aww!” gushed Naruto. “I love babies!” 

“Hm. Then there’s Misa and Midori. They’re twins and very into fashion. Extremely vapid and self-obsessed, though, so I’d suggest you stay away from them. And there’s Shisui, another one of my cousins. He’s decent, but he’s best friends with my older brother, so I try to avoid him.”

Naruto smiled. “Why? What’s your brother like?”

Sasuke’s face darkened for a brief moment. “Like all older brothers, he’s confident that he knows what’s best for me.” Then he shrugged. “But I doubt we’ll be seeing much of him anyway. He’s always working. He’s basically in charge of the company while my father takes care of business elsewhere.”

“Hmm,” said Naruto thoughtfully. She still didn’t know what Sasuke’s brother was actually like in terms of personality, but she decided to move on. “What about your mother? I hope she likes me!”

This time, Sasuke smiled softly. “She’s wonderful,” he said. “I’m sure she’ll love you.”

“Even though I’m unrefined and untraditional?” she joked.

To her surprise, Sasuke suddenly sat up, scowling heavily. “Who told you that?” he demanded, looking furious. “Did someone say that to you?” 

Naruto sat up slowly, bewildered at his sudden change in behaviour. “Nobody,” she said. “I was just kidding, Sasuke. What’s the matter?”

Sasuke stared at her, looking both worried and angry. Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I was just worried that…you know what? Never mind,” he said, relaxing back down on the couch. When Naruto didn’t join him, he reached over to wrap an arm around her and pulled her to his side, making her let out a little ‘oof’. She leaned into the comforting and familiar warmth of his body, but found herself still feeling confused.

“Is that something I should be concerned about?” she asked seriously, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Like, is that something people might say about me?” 

It wasn’t that far-fetched of an idea. Naruto had been mocked and disrespected many times throughout her life for such a thing. Some called her an idiot and moron, an underachieving loser, unattractive and trashy. She brushed it off as much as she could, but she couldn’t lie that it hurt at times to hear such remarks.

Naruto loved Sasuke with all her heart. But he was different. It was so obvious at times, a fact that revealed itself during their daily conversations and exchanges. Not just in terms of him being an overachieving businessman with a lot more money and a flashy apartment that he let her move into. Naruto didn’t know all the details of his childhood and upbringing, but she could tell he was raised in a traditional and strict household. He valued order and structure and reputation — things she didn’t care about too much. He hated surprises and spontaneity — things she cherished. 

Sasuke was slowly becoming more relaxed and carefree as their relationship progressed, but the difference in their social status and background and interests still took her by surprise sometimes, leaving her uncomfortable and insecure. She would often find herself thinking he could do so much better, and wondered why he was happy to settle for someone like her. 

As though sensing her troubled thoughts, Sasuke kissed her softly on the temple. “People are idiots,” he told her. “Especially where I’m from. It says more about them than it does about you.” He turned to look at her, his gaze serious. “When we’re in Tokyo, if someone disrespects you, I want you to let me know.”

She stared at him, half-amused and half-bewildered. “What, are you in the yakuza or something? You gonna ‘take care’ of them if they’re rude to me?”

“I’m serious, Naruto,” said Sasuke, annoyed. “And don’t joke about the yakuza while we’re there.”

Naruto sighed. “Okay, okay,” she told him. She watched him stare ahead into space, his brow furrowed in annoyance and worry as he was consumed by his own thoughts. It seemed like they both needed a distraction.

Naruto yawned and stretched over-dramatically, letting one hand caress the side of his neck as she gave him a devious look. “I’m so tired, Sasuke. Let’s go to bed, hm?” She let her other hand slowly creep up his thigh. 

He blinked at her and then smirked at the obvious proposition, pulling her harshly into his lap and then kissing her breathless. Naruto giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing her ass right on his crotch, shifting in a way that made him groan. 

Moments later, Sasuke pulled away from the kiss and gazed up at her adoringly, his hands placed very firmly on her backside. “I love you, Naruto,” he said earnestly. 

Naruto stared back, taking in the sight of Sasuke’s flushed skin and swollen lips and those beautiful dark eyes, and she felt her heart swell with happiness. “I love you, too,” she whispered back. There was a brand-new episode of The Voice about to air in ten minutes, but as Sasuke leaned in to kiss her once more, Naruto couldn’t bring herself to care.

 

 

A week later, the two made their way to the airport, ready to catch their flight to Tokyo. It was finally the big day. Kurama had been deposited at Hana’s house earlier the day before, with the soft-spoken woman watching happily as the cat began leaping around her kitchen and miaowing. That night, Naruto had barely slept, instead fantasising about the upcoming vacation. What was the weather going to like? The people? The food? The nightlife? She already knew they’d be staying at a hotel near Sasuke’s family home, which was undergoing some construction and unable to host any guests. She was quite sad about that, considering how fun his family sounded, but he insisted they’d still be able to visit and spend time there. 

The following morning, Sakura kindly took some time off work to drive Sasuke and Naruto to the airport, and exchanged wry smiles with Sasuke as Naruto bounced excitedly in her seat on the way there. It was six in the morning, but Naruto couldn’t help act like she’d had a can of energy drink before getting into the car. 

“You’re like a kid about to go on a field trip,” Sakura remarked at her friend’s behaviour, speeding down the highway. “Have you got everything? Your passport, all your suitcases?”

“Yes, mom,” Naruto responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Then she grinned and resumed bouncing excitedly. “I’m just sooooo excited!”

“We know!” snapped Sasuke and Sakura at the same time, which made Naruto laugh. 

They arrived at the airport soon after, as the early morning streets had been rather quiet. Sakura pulled over to park by the huge airport entrance, and then squealed as Naruto tackled her with a hug.

“I’ll miss you so much!” she cried, squeezing her best friend tight.

Sakura rolled her eyes but hugged her back. “I’ll miss you too, dummy,” she said. “Send me tons of pictures. And get me some nice souvenirs, okay?”

“I will!” Naruto promised. She pulled away as Sasuke thanked Sakura much more politely and calmly. Then the two got out of the car to get their luggage, with Naruto waving wildly as Sakura drove away.

As they prepared to enter the airport, they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a pretty stewardess and two men, who approached her and Sasuke with friendly smiles.

“Good morning, Mr. Uchiha, Ms. Uzumaki,” said the stewardess, bowing deeply. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you with those,” she said, pointing towards their suitcases. “Let me get you checked in to first class!”

Naruto froze. “Uh, I think there’s a mistake. We’re not — I mean, we didn’t book—”

But Sasuke merely nodded, pulling Naruto to the side to let the two men take their suitcases. She watched with wide eyes as they carried the heavy bags into the airport, and continued to stare as he confirmed their tickets and details with the stewardess, who smiled and began leading them into the airport.

“Sasuke!” she hissed, tugging at his jacket worriedly. “We can’t afford first class! You can get arrested for this, you know!”

He wrapped an arm around her and smirked. “Relax,” was all he said.

He didn’t give her any answers until they were actually getting onto the plane, ignoring her anxious pleas and worried looks as they passed through security and boarding (they were able to skip all the lengthy queues, even though Naruto was fully prepared to wait for two hours). But as they followed the pretty stewardess inside the aircraft, Naruto was left speechless at the sight of the first class section. It looked more like a hotel lobby than an actual airplane — it was absolutely huge, with plush leather chairs that stretched out into beds, large low tables covered in spotless white cloth and already decorated with leather pouches (who knew what goodies were inside?), the windows panelled with glossy wood and the surrounding lights a soft, dim gold that made her want to curl up and fall asleep. Mai had warned Naruto that in economy class flights, there was usually one TV screen shared between five rows, but here there was an interactive touch-screen for each and every seat. In the centre stood a large champagne bar, with an attentive steward already pouring glasses for waiting passengers — all of whom looked extremely wealthy and sophisticated.

“Holy shit,” Naruto breathed.

“I know right,” replied Sasuke. “Who the fuck drinks alcohol this early in the morning?”

Naruto gaped at him as he tossed his backpack onto their assigned seats and collapsed into the one next to the window, looking completely bored. She slowly followed suit, gingerly taking the huge armchair next to his — resisting the urge to let out a squeak when it swivelled. 

“Sasuke,” she said for the fiftieth time that morning. “We cannot afford this.”

“Yes we can,” he told her, rolling his eyes. “Listen, my family does business with this airline. It wasn’t hard to get us these tickets.”

“Business?” Naruto repeated. “What kind of business?” 

Before he could respond, the smiley stewardess approached them with a tray. “Hot towel?” she said, handing them an impossibly soft-looking cloth with a pair of tongs. Naruto bit her lip as she accepted, letting its warmth seep into her bones — a small comfort in the face of such a confusing and hectic morning. Sasuke shook his head, rejecting the offer, but the woman gave him an even wider smile.

“May I say, Uchiha-san, I was so delighted to hear you’re coming home,” she told him.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “I’m just visiting,” he told her coldly.

The woman blinked and nodded, and her smile faltered as she turned to walk away. 

Usually Naruto would scold Sasuke for such rude behaviour, but all she could do now was stare at him, a brand new question on her mind. “How does she know you’re ‘coming home’? You’re not secretly a celebrity, are you?” 

Sasuke’s expression shifted, making him look rather guilty. 

“What? You’re famous?” she demanded. Then she immediately let out a dismissive laugh, waving a hand at the outrageous idea. “Nah, you’re not a celebrity. Paparazzi would be following us around everywhere if you were.”

Sasuke was quiet for a long moment. “I’m not famous,” he told her. “In New York.”

Naruto blinked at the statement, baffled. Sasuke stared down at the floor, avoiding her gaze. But then she put two and two together and her eyes widened.

“You’re famous in Japan,” she breathed. “You’re famous in Japan, and your family casually does business with one of the most expensive airlines in the world.” She leaned back in her seat, fixing him with an accusatory stare. “You’re rich.”

His silence, filled with reluctance and guilt, told her everything.

“Holy shit,” Naruto said. “How rich are we talking?”

Sasuke scowled at her. “It doesn’t fucking matter.”

“Yes it does,” Naruto snapped. She was astonished and amused and angry and hurt. “This is a big deal, Sasuke. You get all offended when I don’t tell you shit — like that time I walked home with my co-worker John—”

“He’s a sleazy piece of shit,” snapped Sasuke. “And he always stares at your ass.” 

“Whatever,” said Naruto. “The point is, you got mad when I walked home with him and didn’t tell you. You said you felt betrayed. And that’s how I feel right now, finding out my boyfriend is rich as fuck and that I had no clue.”

“My family is rich as fuck,” he corrected her darkly. “Not me. You know I don’t work for them.”

Naruto scoffed and turned away, resisting the urge to scream at his stubbornness. Did he seriously not see the issue with this? She couldn’t even bear to look at him.

After a few moments, Sasuke reached for her hand. She snatched it away, crossing her arms and scowling. 

“Hey,” he said softly, moving closer to her. “Naruto. Come on. I’m sorry.”

“Whatever,” she responded bitterly. 

“I mean it,” Sasuke said. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you ages ago. Remember when I first told you about the wedding? And I was freaking out?”

She bit back a grin and nodded slowly. It wasn’t everyday Sasuke admitted to ‘freaking out’. 

“I wasn’t stressing about the wedding itself,” he told her. “I was worried about how you’d react to the truth of my family and their wealth. That world is so fucking bullshit. It’s all about money and reputation and fame. There’s nothing genuine about it. It’s so far away from who you are, Naruto,” he said. “And who I want to be.”

She turned to look at him, her heart softening at the statement. “That’s why you left it all behind.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke admitted. “But the point is, I fucked up and I’m sorry. I should have told you.”

Naruto thought it over. In all honesty, she was still upset. He’d kept a serious truth from her for the entirety of their relationship. And if that wasn’t bad enough, she had a whole world of bullshit to worry about upon her arrival in Tokyo. Her previous suspicions had all been confirmed — that she wouldn’t really fit ‘in’ to Sasuke’s world, that she would be viewed as inferior and lowly and lesser-than, and that people would take one look at the sight of them together and frown.

But she could understand why Sasuke kept the truth from her. He was truly determined to overcome his past and his family’s influence — him leaving it all behind was proof of that. And at the end of the day, it simply didn’t matter. She loved Sasuke for who he was, not for his money or his last name, and it didn’t change the way she felt about him whatsoever.

“It’s fine,” she muttered, reaching over to hold his hand. His eyes widened and then he smiled at her touch. They could get past this, Naruto told herself confidently. They were going to be okay. 

 

 

Meanwhile, almost seven thousand miles away in Tokyo, Ino Yamanaka stared at her laptop screen. The stewardess she’d hired to watch Sasuke confirmed that he’d boarded the plane — ugly blonde bitch in tow. The flight had departed just two minutes ago and wouldn’t land for another sixteen hours. Still, there was so much to do and prepare. She smirked in anticipation. The following week was going to be a very interesting one indeed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao Ino please chill...
> 
> This chapter was also a really fun one to write, especially Shisui's messiness and Itachi's introduction! In the next chapter, Naruto and Sasuke hang out with Temari and Shikamaru, and there's a big party with some interesting first encounters ;) 
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed!! See you next time!!


	5. The Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The update took longer than expected because this chapter was longer than expected. I'm telling you ...my brain is finished. It's over 10k words and the party doesn't even take place! Not the most exciting chapter imo but it is a necessary one. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy.

The flight would have been unbearably long — but First Class had a way of making things much more enjoyable.

Naruto ooh’d and aah’d over the interior of the huge aircraft like a kid in a candy store, much to the surrounding peoples’ amusement. As the flight took off and shot into the clear blue skies, she let out a little whoop of excitement with the knowledge that she was leaving the country for the first time, heading to a faraway Eastern city that was sure to promise excitement and thrill. Sasuke seemed a little more subdued, reminding her to keep her seatbelt fastened and her voice down, watching her quietly with his arms folded as she babbled away cheerfully. 

“You’re not even scared, are you?” he asked her, amused. 

Naruto grinned. “Nope!” 

They chatted amiably for a while until the seatbelt sign was turned off. Naruto then gave him a happy smile and pointed towards their television screens. “Let’s watch something, Sasuke!”

Sasuke shook his head. “No, I don’t feel like it. You go ahead.”

He turned to stare out of the window, eyes glazing over as they eyed the shrinking city below. Naruto pouted at his refusal, but then shrugged and began flicking through the movie selection screen excitedly. There was an impressive list of the latest films, many of which hadn’t even come out in America yet. Decisions, decisions…

Once Naruto settled on an awesomely gory-looking horror film, she sat back in her seat and put on her earphones with a triumphant smile.

An hour later, she was trembling and clutching her boyfriend’s hand tight, completely engrossed in the terrifying scenes. She watched with her mouth slightly open and eyes wide. The movie’s protagonist was hiding in a broom closet, panting anxiously as the murderer approached with an axe in hand, reaching for the doorknob and turning it slowly…

A harsh tap on the shoulder made Naruto scream and jump in her seat. She turned wildly to face Sasuke, who was scowling at her, and the flight attendant stood next to him with an expectant smile, pushing a little cart of drinks and snacks.

Naruto took off her earphones and gave them a guilty smile. “Sorry,” she said. “W-what’s wrong?”

“She asked if you wanted anything to drink,” said Sasuke, looking at her like she was an idiot.

Naruto quickly shook her head, embarrassed. She still felt a little spooked by the events of the film and the shock of Sasuke poking her. “Nah, I’m good, thanks,” she replied shakily.

The stewardess nodded, fixing Naruto with a thin smile. “That’s alright. But please keep it down, Uzumaki-san. There are people sleeping.” She strolled away curtly, pushing her cart over to the next row of passengers.

Naruto settled back in her seat, feeling like she'd just gotten scolded by a schoolteacher. She looked around the First Class section curiously. Indeed, a lot of people had switched off their overhead lights and gone to sleep. The huge armchairs were stored away to give room for large makeshift beds, complete with silk sheets and soft little pillows, and even soft throw blankets. The sight of it all made Naruto feel rather sleepy herself, and she let out a yawn, the exhaustion caused by the late night early morning finally catching up with her. 

“Let’s get some rest,” Sasuke said quietly, reading her thoughts. 

They got the bed arranged and put on the beautiful gold silk pyjamas provided by the airline service. Sasuke asked her if she wanted to take a shower first, but Naruto refused because the idea of getting butt-naked in a moving airplane was extremely terrifying. 

“I'm afraid we’re not joining the Mile High Club anytime soon,” she told him with a wink. Sasuke rolled his eyes and flushed, embarrassed by her forwardness. 

She also made a wry comment about the clothes being more expensive than her entire wardrobe, which made Sasuke chuckle and the flight attendance wince from her station a few feet away. 

They lay down on the bed, reaching out to hold each other’s hands in the darkness. Despite there being lots of other people around them, and the privacy provided by the sections being rather shoddy, it still felt extremely intimate. When she was with Sasuke, Naruto tended to forget about everything and everyone else. He seemed to have that effect on her, and she hoped it would never change. 

“Don’t worry, Sasuke,” she whispered to her boyfriend happily as she closed her eyes. “We’re going to have a great time.”

 

 

Nine hours later when Naruto woke up, she found Sasuke sitting up and staring moodily out of the window. He’d gotten changed, putting his dark suit back on. His dark hair was slicked back and slightly wet, the skin of his neck slightly red, and he looked impressively put-together for someone who’d been on a long-haul flight for over eleven hours. She probably looked like recycled garbage in comparison.

“Did you really have a shower?” Naruto asked, amused. 

Sasuke shrugged. “I do it all the time.”

She yawned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Oh, yeah, I forgot already. You’re used to flying First Class, aren’t you, Mr. Big Shot?”

Sasuke merely sneered at her teasing comment, turning back to glare out of the window. There were nothing but crisp white clouds under blue skies as far as the eye could see, but he was studying the scenery like it was a tricky exam question. Naruto smiled, reaching over to poke him in the side good-naturedly. She could tell he was feeling nervous about returning home, but knew it wasn’t exactly the best time to bring it up, either. 

“So who’s picking us up from the airport?” she asked, focusing on something else. “Or are we just going to take a taxi to the hotel?”

“No,” said Sasuke. “Shikamaru will be picking us up. You know, the groom. He’s taking us out for dinner.”

“Yay!” said Naruto cheerfully. “I’m so ready to try some good Japanese food. I want the good stuff, Sasuke!”

Her boyfriend merely rolled his eyes at her demand. “Nothing but the best for you, Your Highness,” he told her sarcastically.

Naruto grinned, crossing her legs and turning her attention back to the television. She really wanted to finish that movie and find out if the hero made it out alive!

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully. Naruto finished the movie, cried over the tragic ending, and decided to watch another one. By the time that one was over, Sasuke had relaxed (it only took him twelve hours) and started chatting to Naruto about their plans for the next few days. They’d hang out with Shikamaru and go to their hotel, and the next morning Sasuke would be off for some important ‘best man duties’. 

“Then we’ll be meeting my family in the evening,” Sasuke told her. “They’re having a get-together at the family home.” 

There was also talk of a bachelor’s party, and Sasuke’s lip curled as he told Naruto it was being planned by ‘two idiots’ named Choji and Lee, who were also good friends with the groom. It was likely to be a loud and messy event - which Naruto honestly thought sounded great. Still, she couldn’t imagine Sasuke enjoying himself in any kind of party environment. 

“Make sure you don’t just stand awkwardly in the corner, bastard,” she told him playfully. “Socialise with others, please.”

He fixed her with a blunt, disbelieving look that made her laugh out loud.

Before long, the seatbelt sign flashed on again and they straightened up into their original seats before the flight’s descent began. Naruto felt a little nervous, but as she looked outside the window next to Sasuke once they’d passed the clouds her eyes widened in astonishment as she took in her first sight of the city. 

The sun was just setting in Tokyo, painting the horizon brilliant hues of orange and red and pale pink. The city’s nightlife was slowly coming alive as the day came to an end, illuminating the world with what looked like millions of lights — yellow, red, green, blue from every direction. Massive skyscrapers towered over the streets, windows shimmering and glinting in the receding sunlight.

“Wow,” Naruto breathed, taking in the sights. She reached for her phone and snapped a few pictures. “It looks amazing!”

She continued to stare, open-mouthed, as the plane grew closer and closer to the ground. The roads were crowded with minuscule cars and people. She barely noticed the thud of the plane as it landed smoothly on the tarmac, a few people exhaling in relief at the safe arrival. 

“Welcome to Tokyo,” the flight attendant announced. “The local time is 5pm. Thank you for flying with us today, and we hope you enjoy your time in the city!”

 

 

 

Sasuke led Naruto through customs and security, switching smoothly between Japanese and English when talking to the airport officers. She watched him in awe, hand gripping her suitcase tight. Naruto had heard him speak his native language many times while on the phone, but witnessing him do it firsthand was something else. It was a little hot, actually. But Sasuke just seemed rather annoyed by everything, muttering angrily about ‘idiots asking too many questions’, and she could tell he wanted nothing more than for some peace and quiet and privacy. 

As they walked past the arrivals gate towards the crowds of waiting friends and families, Naruto instantly saw a man standing to the side holding up a sign that read ‘UCHIHA SASUKE’ in English, with what was presumably the same thing underneath in Japanese. The guy was rather tall, with dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail. What was most striking about him was how extremely bored he looked, nothing like the stuck-up rich businessman she was expecting. But when he saw Sasuke, the sides of his mouth tilted up in a slight smile.

“So that’s Shikamaru,” Naruto said. “Huh. Not what I expected.”

As her boyfriend took her hand and led her over there, Naruto noticed a woman standing next to him, grinning with her hands clasped together. She was very attractive, almost intimidatingly so, with spiky blonde hair and an expensive-looking black and red mini-dress. 

“There he is!” she declared teasingly as Sasuke and Naruto approached. 

“Temari,” Sasuke greeted. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

Temari rolled her eyes and gave him a quick hug, which Sasuke accepted with a slight grimace. Naruto watched as he also shook hands with Shikamaru, exchanging a few greeting words with the man, before turning to back to her.

“This is my girlfriend, Naruto,” he told them, placing his hand on the small of her back.

Naruto smiled at them both, trying to hide her nerves and apprehension. “Hi,” she said, voice a little quiet.

But to her surprise, Temari grabbed her and pulled her into a big, strong hug, patting her heartily on the back. Naruto laughed, wrapping her arms around the woman and returning the embrace. who was still grinning as she pulled away.

“I’ve gotta say, you really hit the jackpot with this one, Sasuke,” she said, looking Naruto up and down approvingly. “I’m Shikamaru’s fiancee, by the way.” She nodded over to her partner.

Shikamaru reached over to shake Naruto’s hand politely, giving her a soft, tired smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Naruto,” he said. Even his voice seemed lazy. “I’d give you a hug too, but I wouldn't want to piss off Uchiha. I know what he's like.”

Naruto giggled at the very valid statement. She already liked the the two, and felt her nerves dissipating as they kindly took their bags and began leading them out of the airport, with Temari chatting animatedly. 

They made their way to a rental car waiting outside, with the driver politely asking them where they wanted to go. Shikamaru, who was sitting in the front seat, rattled off an address in Japanese and then immediately sat back, closing his eyes tiredly. 

“We’re going to get something to eat,” Temari explained from her seat in the middle.

“What about our bags?” Naruto asked. “Shouldn’t we drop them off first?”

“No time! Don’t worry, the driver will look after them,” Temari said. “He works for my family.” 

Naruto found that a little weird and felt slightly sorry for the guy (what if he was hungry too?), but decided not to say anything.

As the car drove through the nighttime streets of Tokyo, Naruto quietly took in the surroundings, snapping a photo on her phone every now and then for her to send to Sakura later. The roads, which were much cleaner than those back home, were busy with people rushing around impatiently, either heading home after a long day of work or to meet up with friends. From her window seat, the skyscrapers looked all the more intimidating and domineering as they stood impressively above them. The evening air was cool and slightly chilly, but infinitely refreshing after sixteen hours on an airplane. There was something so distinctly different about it all, but also something that felt a lot like home. 

As she quietly looked out of the window and did some mini sight-seeing, Temari and Shikamaru did most of the talking, with Sasuke speaking up a little every now and then to respond to their statements and questions. Then Temari turned to Naruto with a grin.

“So how are you finding Tokyo?” she asked.

“I mean, I’ve only been here for an hour,” Naruto responded honestly. “So I’m not too sure yet.”

Temari apparently found that very funny, because she let out a little guffaw before turning back to Sasuke, who now looked seriously annoyed. From the front seat, Shikamaru was watching the three of them with an amused smile. 

Naruto was glad when the car ride came to an end, her legs aching after sitting for so long. The driver pulled over next to a huge pier dotted with numerous food stalls and pop-up restaurants, with a large number of table benches in the middle. There were lots of people sitting around and stuffing their faces, and others rushing around with trays laden with steaming food. As soon as she opened the door and stepped out of the car, she was hit by the strong smell of food, both savoury and sweet, being fried, grilled, baked and boiled. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation, and she seriously hoped her tastebuds wouldn’t be let down. 

Temari gave the driver some orders in Japanese before turning back to the entourage with a little smile. “Let’s get a table, guys!” She walked off towards the tables and benches, strutting confidently. Shikamaru walked after her, hands shoved into his pocket.

Sasuke, however, wrapped an arm around Naruto and sighed. “I’m tired,” he muttered.

“I know,” she said. “Let’s eat and go to the hotel, okay?”

He sighed again. Naruto secretly found it really cute when he acted like a baby, and was quite sad they weren’t in private so she could spoil him incessantly.

Her sadness faded once Temari and Shikamaru led her to a small, shabby-looking food stall at the very edge of the pier. Its title was in both Japanese and English, the wooden sign reading ‘ICHIRAKU RAMEN’.

“Ramen?” squealed Naruto excitedly, her grip on Sasuke’s hand tightening.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gave Temari a half-hearted glare. “Thanks a lot,” he said sarcastically. “This moron is obsessed with noodles.”

“I can only afford the cup ones,” Naruto confessed, rubbing her nose embarrassedly. 

Shikamaru elbowed Sasuke in the side. “Why don’t you treat the lady to real ramen more often, Uchiha?”

Sasuke glared and rubbed at his side, opening his mouth to retort, but then Temari winked at Naruto and said, “Trust me, once you’ve had a taste of this, you’ll never go back to eating those trashy cup noodles.”

“I tell her all the time it’s not good for her,” Sasuke said a little mournfully. 

Shikamaru ordered four bowls for them all. The chef, a kindly old man named Teuchi, was extremely excited to talk to them all. Once he realised Naruto didn’t speak the language, he called for his daughter, a young woman named Ayame who worked at the ramen shop. She spoke English fluently and was an extremely friendly girl, welcoming Naruto to the city wholeheartedly.

“Come back anytime!” she said, waving them goodbye as they left.

They also stopped to get some sake, upon Temari’s insistent that Naruto try it — and by the time they sat down at the humble little table, Naruto’s stomach felt like it was eating itself. 

She dug into her bowl immediately, not caring if it looked rude to the others — and the flavours immediately exploded on her tongue, the saltiness of the broth and the smoky flavour of the pork and the richness of the soft noodles all dizzyingly good. It was the best thing she’d ever eaten in her life. 

“This is so good,” Naruto moaned around her third mouthful. “This is next fucking level! So much better than cup noodles!”

Sasuke smirked, watching her as she ate. “Now you know why I don’t eat that crap.”

She wanted to make a snarky comment about her not being rich enough to afford anything better, but found the tantalising taste of the ramen to be a powerful distraction and went back to shovelling the hot food into her mouth, ignoring the slight burn of her tongue. She even found herself unable to pay attention to Temari’s sly comment about her ‘eating herself’ as she gestured towards the little white-and-pink fishcake. 

Within three minutes, Naruto had inhaled the entire meal and looked down at the empty bowl a little forlornly. She still felt hungry — even if it had been a beautiful experience, it was over much too soon. 

“Damn,” said Temari, totally impressed. She turned to Shikamaru. “I like this girl.”

“Don’t encourage her,” muttered Sasuke, who was barely halfway through his own meal. 

Naruto watched his long, pale fingers elegantly use his chopsticks to lift the food into his mouth, and she quickly found herself feeling hungry in more ways than one. She discreetly glanced at Temari and Shikamaru, worried they might be able to read her perverted thoughts (that was a constant worry of hers). Thankfully, they were busy in their own world, with Temari feeding her sleepy-looking fiance with her own chopsticks a little aggressively and muttering about what a lazy bastard he was.

Naruto turned back to her boyfriend, a determined glint in her eye. “Sasuke,” she said, adding a little whine to her voice — one that always pissed him off. “Give me some.”

He rolled his eyes at the request. “Just go and get yourself another bowl.” 

“Are you kidding me?” she cried. “I don’t even remember where the place is. I’ll get lost.” This was a blatant lie. Naruto was bad with directions, but she wasn’t that bad. “You go and get me some.” 

When he ignored her and continued eating, she whined again and poked him in the side. “Please.” 

“Don’t deny the lady her request, Sasuke-kun,” said Shikamaru, mockingly chiding the Uchiha.

Sasuke glared at him and at a hopeful-looking Naruto, and then huffed before pushing his bowl away harshly. “Fine. I’ll be right back,” he muttered as he rose from the table, soon disappearing into the packed crowds as he made his way back to the Ichiraku Ramen stall. Naruto clapped her hands together excitedly, her tastebuds already rejoicing at the meal to come. 

Naruto turned back to Shikamaru and Temari, who had resumed their previous feeding session. Naruto watched the adorable-slash-uncomfortable scene for a few moments before deciding to strike up a conversation. 

“So, Shikamaru,” she said. “You must be really glad to have your best friend back in town.”

Shikamaru and Temari raised an eyebrow at her words. “Best friend?” they both echoed.

“Yeah,” Naruto said cheerfully. 

Temari continued to stare. “I…think you’re confused about something.” 

“We’re not best friends,” said Shikamaru wryly. “We just went to school together. Choji is my best friend — I’ve known him forever. You’ll meet him at the party tomorrow.” 

“Oh,” said Naruto, confused. She recognised Choji as one of the people who were planning the upcoming bachelor party. “Then why is Sasuke your best man, and not this Choji dude?” 

Shikamaru shrugged. “It’s what our families wanted. The Uchiha are a big deal, and a lot of people thought it would be good publicity for the wedding.”

“That’s a bit bizarre,” said Naruto with a frown. “It’s your wedding day, and you can’t even choose who’s by your side?”

“That’s the way it works around here,” Shikamaru sighed, looking a bit bored by the conversation. “And making a fuss is way too troublesome. So I relented.”

Temari nodded. “Honestly, we didn’t even want a huge wedding. I mean, all that money going towards a single day? But when family gets involved, it stops being about what you want and what’s ‘necessary’ and ‘important’,” She spat the last word, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “Honestly, the sooner this is all over, the better.”

Shikamaru reached over to put his arm around her comfortingly, and Temari sighed, gradually leaning into his body and relaxing. 

Naruto watched the two, biting her lip. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Temari and Shikamaru seemed so nice and down-to-earth; nothing like the stuck-up elitist snobs Sasuke had talked about on the plane. They just wanted to celebrate their love in a simple ceremony, only to have their wedding hijacked by other people’s selfish intentions. She couldn’t imagine living a life where every action and decision was dictated by others.

“But enough negativity,” Temari said, sitting up. Her expression shifted as she looked at Naruto with a dangerous glint in her eye — a look that reminded her strongly of Mai. “I want to know what you’ve done to Sasuke Uchiha.” 

Shikamaru let out a little chuckle, like he was hearing an inside joke. Naruto blinked at the two of them, baffled by the inquiry. “What do you mean?”

Temari’s grin widened as she leaned over the table. “C’mon! Sasuke acts like a completely different person around you. I’ve never seen him like this.” 

“Like what?” asked Naruto, growing even more confused.

“Happy,” Shikamaru told her bluntly. “Before he left, everyone knew Sasuke as a stuck-up bastard with a horrible temper and a crappy personality.”

Temari nodded, taking a steady gulp of her sake. “Even during our childhood, he was a total brat. He didn’t want to play with any of the other kids because he thought he was so much better than the rest of us,” she said, smirking at the memory. “So when we found out he had a girlfriend, all we could do was wonder what kind of person you were.”

“I’ll admit, my instinct was to feel sorry for whoever was shacking up with the guy,” muttered Shikamaru.

Naruto let out a laugh. Temari grinned and continued, “But now we’ve actually met you, it makes sense. You’re his total opposite in every way — and that’s a good thing. Around you, he seems so…content.” 

Naruto smiled at that, feeling herself blush as she shrugged. “Hey, don’t get it twisted. He’s still a huge bastard.” 

Shikamaru and Temari both chuckled at that, with Shikamaru stating, “Trust me, we don’t find that very hard to believe.”

“Don’t find what hard to believe?”

The trio turned and saw Sasuke returning to their table, ramen (and suspicious look) in tow. He placed the tray down and sat down next to Naruto, giving her a small soft smile as he handed her the holy ramen, the delicious smell of the food making her sigh happily. She smiled back at him as their fingers brushed, but found herself reluctantly drawn back to the conversation as Shikamaru spoke up.

“Oh, nothing,” said Shikamaru innocently. But when Sasuke went back to his drink, he gave Naruto a secretive wink, and she grinned and nearly choked on her noodles.

 

 

 

 

Once they were done with their meals, the four of them strolled down the pier, taking in the sights of Tokyo’s vibrant nightlife. The river was slightly foggy, smoke rising from the water in a way that made the bright lights look warmer and softer. Despite the loud sounds of the people around her, Naruto found herself feeling slightly sleepy — until Temari called her name.

“Hey, Naruto,” said Temari, beckoning her forward. She linked her arm with Naruto and pulled her to the side, walking slightly away from Sasuke and Shikamaru. “It’s my bachelorette party this weekend, and I know we’ve only just met, but I would love for you to be there.”

“Seriously?” beamed Naruto, feeling elated. “I’d love to, Temari!" 

“There’s going to be a whole lot of prissy spoiled princesses,” said Temari. “So I need as many normal people around as possible.” She poked Naruto in the side, making the other woman’s smile widen as they continued strolling down the pier. “Sasuke’s gonna be busy with best man duties anyway, so you won’t have to be all bored and lonely.”

Naruto nodded, feeling overjoyed. She’d been a bit worried about what she would be doing over the weekend, due to Sasuke’s absence. They’d discussed it in the hotel room earlier that morning. He appeared rather guilty about leaving her, but Naruto had quickly laughed off his concerns — but only because she knew he would abandon his duties if she gave the slightest hint she was unhappy, and she couldn’t let him do that. Even though Naruto wasn’t the clingy type, she found herself feeling a little scared about spending an entire weekend in a place where she knew nobody and nothing about the culture or language. 

In the group chat, Hana had suggested she go on a solo day trip around the city, but Mai and Sakura both agreed that was a bad idea: a Naruto left to her devices was extremely likely to either get lost or arrested — or maybe even both. As a result, Temari’s invitation made her feel rather overjoyed.

“I’ve never been to a bachelorette party before,” she told the other woman. 

“Lucky you!” said Temari jokingly. “They’re usually a waste of time. I can’t promise mine won’t be, because I’m not the one organising it. But I can guarantee you’ll eat least get plenty of drinks.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Naruto. 

She looked over at Sasuke, who was walking rather silently down the pier a few feet away with a bored Shikamaru. Neither of them seemed interested in holding a conversation, but Naruto was sure Shikamaru was just too lazy to bother talking. She caught Sasuke’s eye, and he gave her a little grimace and his gaze screamed Help. Chuckling at the sight of her boyfriend looking so awkward, she thought to herself that things might not be so bad in Tokyo after all.

 

 

 

 

 

They were dropped off at their hotel an hour later by Temari and Shikamaru, who both wished them a good night. Naruto hadgaped up at the massive, glittering hotel building, which seemed to make the Ritz look like a shabby, rundown motel. 

“Sasuke,” she said nervously, reluctant to go inside. “I’m going to get kicked out of here.”

Sasuke gave her a funny look. “Calm down, Naruto. My family owns this hotel.”

He walked off into the lobby, ordering some of the valets to take their bags. Naruto watched him go, feeling very faint. 

“Oh,” she said. “Well, that’s nice.”

As she entered the hotel building through its huge revolving doors (in which she nearly got stuck), her apprehension and astonishment only grew. It looked like a royal palace. The lobby was absolutely enormous, spacious despite there being a lot of people inside, whether they were the wealthy customers getting checked in or the smart-looking valets running around serving them. The place was illuminated with massive glittering chandeliers, the light glinting off the smooth marble floors. There were tall, elegant plants standing next to luxurious couches and expensive coffee tables, where waiters stood patiently with trays of drinks. Naruto looked around, wide-eyed, taking in the sight of the several hotel floors, the transparent ceiling, until her gaze returned to the showpiece in centre of the lobby — a huge, beautiful fountain spouting water in a variety of patterns. 

“Naruto!”

Naruto blinked, spinning around at the sound of her boyfriend’s voice. Sasuke was standing several feet away and was getting checked in by a blushing hotel worker, who was staring at him in astonishment. Naruto made her way over there, feeling like she was in a dream.

“Your passport,” Sasuke said impatiently. Once she handed over the document, he passed it over to the blushing woman and then looked back at Naruto suspiciously. “Why are you acting weird?”

Naruto exhaled sharply. “Look at this place, Sasuke! It’s…it doesn’t make sense!”

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes. “Don’t be stupid.” He took back his documents from the hotel worker, who was now staring at Naruto with the same expression of astonishment. “Let’s go,” said Sasuke, taking her hand in his.

Naruto followed him over to the elevators, still looking around in bewilderment. Every now and then, people would stop to stare at them, mostly paying attention to Sasuke, who strolled through the lobby silently. They whispered amongst themselves at the sight of them together. Naruto could tell from the way Sasuke’s fingers gripped hers tight that he was uneasy and unhappy, and she squeezed his hand comfortingly. 

Once they were in the empty elevator, Sasuke let out a cruel laugh. “Did you see that hotel worker staring at us? She's going to blab about us to all of her friends.” he snapped. “I honestly haven’t missed this place at all.”

“Don’t say that, Sasuke,” Naruto said, biting her lip anxiously. 

“I mean it. Nosy bastards,” he said harshly, turning to face her. Then he smirked, looking rather satisfied. “At least I rented out the whole floor. That way, we can get some privacy.” 

He reached over to place his hand on her hip, but Naruto let out a yelp of surprise. “The entire floor? What’s the point of that?” she cried. Then she realised Sasuke’s family owned the damn hotel. He could rent out the entire building without a fuss if he really wanted to. Not to mention, the idea of that much privacy sounded really, really good now she knew Sasuke was a ‘big deal’.

As the elevator doors opened, Naruto turned to him and asked, “What’s our room number?” 

“614,” Sasuke replied, checking the room card.

Naruto grinned evilly. “Race you there!” And then she was off, sprinting down the hallway like a kid. Sasuke let out an annoyed snarl but followed her, trying his best to overtake her, but she made it to the room just before he did. 

“Woohoo!” Naruto whooped, jumping up and down. “I beat you!”

“What are you, five?” snapped Sasuke, trying to catch his breath, but his dark eyes were laughing as he slid the room card in and opened the door.

 

 

Naruto had immediately stripped off her clothes, dashed into the bathroom, and familiarised herself with the massive bathtub. She locked Sasuke out, claiming he would only try to convince her to have bath sex and although that was a seriously tempting idea, she was just too worn out.

The bath did not disappoint. She was pleased to find herself able to fit snugly into the marble tub, and felt her plane-fatigued limbs relax in the blissfully hot water. Naruto also indulged herself by using up shocking amounts of the fancy, sweet-smelling bubble bath and soaps provided by the hotel. Twenty minutes in and she no longer felt like a human being, but rather a very happy and relaxed cloud. She eventually emerged from the bathroom wrapped in the softest bathrobe known to mankind, red-faced and deeply satisfied. Sasuke, who had impatiently been waiting for the chance to take a shower, raised an eyebrow at the sight of her but said nothing. 

But later, as they lay in their hotel bed and got ready to go to sleep, Naruto found herself asking Sasuke something that had been on her mind for a few hours. 

“Hey, Sasuke,” she said from where she lay flat on her back. “How come you told me Shikamaru is your best friend?”

He was engrossed in his copy of a Japanese newspaper, and glanced down at her with a confused little frown. “What?”

Naruto sat up, hugging one of the pillows to her chest. She felt a little on edge. Sasuke had already withheld some important information about his family and past from her, and she wasn’t happy that he’d also lied about his friendship with Shikamaru. The idea of Sasuke keeping the truth from her made her feel sick to her stomach. 

“You told me we were attending your best friend’s wedding,” she said, trying to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice. Starting a fight wouldn’t help her, not now. “But at the pier this evening, Shikamaru said you guys barely even talk and that you're not best friends at all.”

“He said that?” said Sasuke, looking genuinely confused. He folded his newspaper and placed it down beside him. “That’s bizarre. He called me personally to ask me to be his best man. I thought best friends did things like that for each other.” He shrugged. “We might not talk and hang out every single day like you and your moronic friends might do, but Shikamaru has always been one of the most intelligent, reliable and bearable people I’ve met. That’s why I said I'd do it.”

Naruto blinked at his response, overlooking his insult. Slowly, her mind started to piece things together, and she realised Sasuke was on another wavelength entirely. “Sasuke,” she said. “Who would is your closest friend? And by ‘closest’ I mean, you talk to them regularly, you trust them, and enjoy spending time with them.”

He paused, his frown deepening as he contemplated the question. Then an embarrassed flush crept up his throat and he replied, in a quiet voice, “Well…that’s you.”

Naruto blushed in response to the cute confession. Even though part of her knew it was perfectly normal for people to consider their partner as their best friend, she would have instantly replied with ‘Sakura’ to that exact same question, which made her feel a little guilty. It was clear, now, that she and Sasuke had completely different definitions of what a ‘best friend’ was, stemming from his very sheltered and strict upbringing, and she felt herself relax — he hadn’t lied to her, and it was all just a big misunderstanding. That was quickly becoming a recurring theme in their relationship, she supposed. Still, Naruto couldn’t help but find it hilarious that Sasuke had easily considered Shikamaru to be his ‘best friend’ simply because of how un-annoying the man was. 

Sasuke reached out to poke her on the thigh, where her dressing gown rode up to reveal some skin, interrupting her from her thoughts. “What’s this interrogation about, anyway?” he asked. 

Naruto lay back down on the bed with a smile, feeling relieved now she knew her boyfriend hadn’t been lying to her after all. She reached up to stroke his arm, squeezing his bicep comfortingly. “Nothing,” she assured him. “Just curious.” 

Sasuke stared at her for a moment, trying to figure her out, and then flashed her a grin leaned over her until their lips were just a few inches apart. He gazed down at her hungrily, his dark eyes determined, and Naruto silently urged him to move closer so she could feel her lips on hers.

“You still feeling tired?” he asked . 

She tilted her head up to smile coyly. “Not anymore.”

Then, to Sasuke's surprise, she suddenly flipped them over so she was on top of him and straddling his hips. Naruto ran her hands down his bare chest, feeling his deliciously solid and toned abs as stared up at her, a little dazed at the sudden change in position.

“I have to be up early tomorrow,” he warned, but his hands moved up to stroke her bare thighs, squeezing softly.

“I’m sure they'll understand,” Naruto said playfully. “Just blame it on the jet lag.”

He smirked at her response, and Naruto decided to kiss the smug look right off his face, leaning down to press her lips against his. Sasuke pressed one hand against the small of her back as another played with her loose blonde hair, and as he slipped his tongue into her mouth Naruto let out a little sigh. 

Sasuke dipped a hand lower down to stroke the inside of her thighs, inching closer and closer to the space between her legs that was growing warmer by the second. The other hand, which had been rubbing circles into the small of her back, shifted under the bathrobe to squeeze her ass. At his ministrations, Naruto moaned into the kiss, but he continued to tease her, his fingers getting closer and closer to where she wanted them to be — needed them to be — but not quite close enough.

Naruto quickly pulled away from the kiss to desperately remove her bathrobe, drinking in the sight of his hungry, dark eyes and flushed face as he stared up at her. His breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of her full breasts, the nipples hardening in the cool air, the shapely tanned thighs straddling his pale hips.

“Like what you see?” she asked, teasing him a little. 

“Yes,” Sasuke said bluntly. 

She grinned, reaching for one of his hands. He watched silently as she took it in hers, reaching up to stroke her face. Underneath her own, his fingers brushed against her cheek as he smiled up at her softly, drinking in the sight of her. Then Naruto moved his hand lower, letting it caress the tanned skin of her throat, and then lower so that it was pressed against one of her breasts. Sasuke squeezed at the flesh, teasing her nipple enough to make her let out another quiet moan, rubbing it between his fingers in a way he knew would drive her crazy. Naruto she felt herself grow even wetter as she moved his hand to the other breast, letting him repeat his actions.

Then, with tremendous effort, Naruto moved Sasuke’s hand even lower, trailing it down her belly to the space between her legs. And then she let go of his hand completely, finally giving him control after minutes of teasing them both. She gasped as Sasuke sat up and suddenly flipped them over so that he was on top of her, his body looming over hers, the hunger in his dark eyes making her breath catch in her throat. He kissed her deeply, leaving her dizzy by the time he pulled away.

“You’re so beautiful,” Sasuke murmured against her lips. “And you’re all mine.”

Naruto felt herself flush deeply at his words, her cheeks heating up. She would never admit it out loud (the bastard would not let her live it down), but she secretly adored his possessive side. Especially in moments like this — when it was just the two of them in their own little world, with him gazing down at her so fondly and lovingly — the knowledge that she belonged to him wholeheartedly and vice versa never failed to take her breath away. She closed her eyes as Sasuke dragged his mouth down her throat, sucking and nipping at her skin in a way that was sure to leave marks, and surrendered to his dizzying touch. 

 

 

The next morning, Naruto woke up to find the bed was empty. She blearily glanced over to the clock, realising it was a little past 11am — Sasuke had mentioned a car would be arriving to pick him up at 9. Still, she couldn’t help but reach over to pat the cold, empty space that he’d previously inhabited, wishing he was still by her side. She stretched a little, wincing at how sore she felt. She blushed a little as she remembered the activities of last night. It had been amazing, to say the least.

After he used his fingers to make her come two times, Sasuke finally fucked her. She’d moaned loudly into the pillow the entire time as he took her from behind, clenching around his length in a way that made them both see stars. Afterwards, Naruto pushed him down flat on his back and sucked him off very eagerly, savouring the taste of him and each helpless moan he let out, every desperate twist of his hands in her hair. Then they tried to make it to the shower to clean up and go to sleep, but still found themselves unable to keep their hands off each other — and soon Naruto had her legs wrapped around his waist as he thrusted into her, hard and deep enough to make her cry out. Then they’d finally been so exhausted that they collapsed into bed and fell asleep. 

All in all, she was honestly very glad they got the entire floor to themselves because she was certain they’d have been reported by their neighbours for being so loud.

Despite her soreness, Naruto whistled cheerfully as she now made her way to the bathroom, replaying the events of the night before in her mind. She had a quick shower and washed her hair, and as she combed her blonde locks she realised she had quite some time before the party that night. 

Once she looked respectable, Naruto went downstairs for breakfast, growing anxious as she was approached by a few hotel workers in the largely-empty restaurant section. Thankfully they were very kind, and guided her to a solitary table where she waited for them to prepare her breakfast. She secretly cursed Sasuke for leaving her alone — she felt like such a loser sitting silently by herself, and she was too scared to order anything traditionally Japanese without him being around to translate for her. Still, she dug into her food with gusto as soon as it arrived — if the waiters were amused by her very American order of pancakes and French toast, they thankfully didn’t show it.

On her way back to her room, feeling extremely full and satisfied, Naruto decided to FaceTime Sakura, realising she absolutely had to fill her in about all the craziness that had ensued since the flight to Tokyo.

“Sakuraaaaaa!” Naruto screeched happily as her friend picked up. She settled on the bed, legs crossed as she waved cheerfully.

Sakura waved half-heartedly through the phone screen. Naruto could see she was in her apartment, and that it was dark out. The pink-haired woman was smiling, but she looked extremely tired.

“What time is it for you?” Naruto inquired, worried she’d woken her friend up from sleep.

“Like 9pm,” said Sakura, her voice a little scratchy. “I just got back from work.”

“Oh! How was your day?”

Sakura shrugged. “Same old, same old.” She grinned, leaning in closer to the camera. “What about you? How’s Tokyo? How’s Sasuke?”

Naruto bit her lip. “It’s nice, honestly. But Sakura, I have to tell you something totally crazy!” She exhaled and began retelling the crazy events of the past two days — how she learned Sasuke was actually insanely rich and from one of the wealthiest and most esteemed families in Asia, and that the ‘best friend’s wedding’ wasn’t a cosy and cute family affair but supposedly Tokyo’s event of the decade, and that she’d be meeting his supposedly crazy family that night, and all-in-all she felt a little bit scared, a little confused, and a little vomity.

Once she was done ranting and rambling, she glanced at the phone screen to find Sakura deep in thought, mulling over Naruto’s words. “So what do you think?” she asked nervously, waiting for her friend’s assessment.

“Hmm,” Sakura said instead. “I did suspect there was something more to the story when he first confessed about the wedding. He was acting way too suspicious over something so trivial, really.”

Naruto hummed in agreement, realising she was probably a little obtuse. 

“Anyway,” Sakura continued. “It’s all handled now. Everything’s fine between you two, isn’t it?” Her tone was mostly playful, but there was a little edge to it. Naruto knew without a doubt that if she responded negatively, her best friend would book a flight to Tokyo to beat the shit out of Sasuke.

She leaned back on the bed, grinning. “It’s all cool, don’t worry, Sakura. There’s a party tonight where I’ll be meeting his family.”

“A party?” said Sakura, looking very curious. “How many people are going to be there?”

Naruto considered it. Sasuke had never specified — she’d have to call him later and ask. “I don’t know. His family is kinda big…but it’s probably just going to be a fancy dinner or something.”

Sakura nodded. “Still, you have to look good. You’re meeting his family and you need to make a good first impression. What are you going to wear?”

Naruto hadn’t considered that either. She let out a whine, beginning to panic. “A skirt and shirt combo? I don’t know, Sakura! Wait — what about the red dress?” Sakura had bought her a red dress three years ago for her birthday. 

“No, no!” snapped Sakura at once. “Way too short and just…too much. Did you bring the black dress with you? The short-sleeved one with the white collar?”

“Oh, yeah!” said Naruto, sitting up excitedly. That dress was classic and rather elegant, stopping just above her knees. Then she frowned. “But Sakura…don’t you think that’s kinda…plain? I mean, I don’t want them to think I’m boring.”

Sakura shook her head impatiently. “Listen, his family’s probably super traditional, too. You don’t want them to think you’re some cheap skank, do you? And your body and hair will give it that extra oomph, don’t worry.” She raised a finger wisely as she continued to advise the blonde. “And once they get to know you, they’ll realise how totally un-boring you are. Trust me.”

Naruto sighed. “You’re right, I suppose.” 

The two continued chatting casually for another hour until Sakura let out a huge yawn. Naruto guiltily remembered her friend had finished a long shift at work, and decided to end the call to let her go to sleep.

“Let me know how it goes,” Sakura told her sleepily. “I wanna know everything — what they say, what they act like, how the house looks. And send me some photos of you guys. And post in the group chat, for crying out loud, Mai and Hana are gonna love this.” She let out a little cackle and hung up with a final wave goodbye.

Naruto sighed, leaning back down on the bed. She felt a bit better having had the chance to rant about her experiences. 

There were still a few more hours to kill until she should start to get ready, and despite Mai telling her to go and wander the city by herself, the hectic scenes of last night had been enough warning for her to wait until Sasuke got back — or at least until she knew what the hell she was doing. Not to mention, she felt extremely sleepy all of a sudden. A brief nap couldn’t hurt, could it? Naruto turned on her side and closed her eyes, drifting off into a content sleep.

Naruto woke up to the sound of someone knocking loudly on the hotel room door. She sat up quickly, checking her phone for the time. 3pm. She’d slept for over two hours? She groaned at her own laziness as the insistent knocking continued, and Naruto straightened her bathrobe and ran her fingers through her hair as she quickly rushed over to open the door.

A tall, mysterious man stood in the hallway, bowing respectfully as soon as they made eye contact. As he straightened up, Naruto took in his pale skin and dark, slightly curly hair, and the expensive navy-blue suit he was wearing. It made her feel all the more unkempt.

“Good afternoon, Uzumaki-san,” he greeted in impeccable English, his voice deep and rich.

“Uh,” said Naruto, still trying to figure out who he was. “Good afternoon….um…”

“I am Shisui Uchiha, Sasuke’s cousin,” he told her calmly. Then he tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “He did tell you I’d be picking you up…?”

“Picking me up?” Naruto yelped. “For what? That bastard didn’t tell me anything!”

Shisui looked at her blankly. Naruto flushed under his steady gaze, cursing her own fat mouth — he probably thought she was some uncivilised, unmannered idiot. 

But then he chuckled. “Not to worry, not to worry. I’ll be taking you out for a late lunch, and then we’ll be heading off to the party.” 

“Really?” Naruto said. The idea of going for lunch with someone she didn’t know wasn’t exactly appealing to her, but she couldn’t exactly say no, could she? Especially since the guy was standing right there, smiling so harmlessly. Turning him down wouldn’t look very good at all, and she didn’t want to give a bad impression before she even stepped into the Uchiha household. He seemed nice enough, and Naruto liked meeting new people anyway. And if she got a free meal out of it, even better. “Well, I’ll just get ready then,” she told him. “Give me ten minutes.”

Shisui just smiled politely as she gently shut the door. 

Naruto leapt around the hotel room, rushing to get ready in the promised ten minutes. She slipped on the black dress and put on a little makeup and brushed her hair, deciding to tie it back in a neat, low ponytail. By the time she slipped on her black heels, eight minutes had passed and she was a little out of breath as she opened the door again.

Shisui was busy texting on his phone, but he looked up and gave her a pleasant smile once he saw her. “That was quick,” he remarked. 

Naruto grinned. “Thanks. You ready to go?”

He nodded, slipping his phone into his pocket as he quietly assessed her appearance. Then, without saying anything else, he turned and walked off, taking brisk steps down to hallway.

Naruto did her best to keep up with his quick pace, trying not to stumble in her heels — she didn’t wear the shoes much at all, and it would be seriously humiliating if she were to fall and break something. She was also worried about his silence upon seeing her outfit — did he think the shoes were too much? Was the outfit too raunchy?

Once they were in the elevator, Shisui turned to her and gave her that same brief, unassuming smile, but still didn’t say anything. Instead, he got his phone out of his pocket and resumed texting, his fingers flying across the screen.

Naruto found the silence extremely uneasy. If they were going to have an entire meal together, she didn’t want it to be awkward and quiet. She didn’t do quiet.  
“So, where are we going?” she asked politely, fiddling with the collar of her dress.

Shisui didn’t look up from his phone. “What do you feel like eating?”

Naruto opened her mouth to say anything really, I don’t mind, but then closed it, having grown seriously annoyed by the guy’s lack of manners. If she was going to put up with his attitude, she was going to get a damn good meal out of it. “Ichiraku Ramen,” she told him.

He glanced up at her. “Ichiraku Ramen?” he repeated.

Naruto nodded, trying her best to look innocent. She really hoped he knew the place. “Yeah, Sasuke took me there last night. It was so good!” 

He shrugged, going back to texting on his phone. “Of course,” he said, the slightest hint of disdain in his voice. Naruto smiled tightly, ignoring his disapproval. 

The elevator reached the ground floor with a little ‘ding!’ and Shisui marched off as soon as the doors opened, barely paying any attention to Naruto as they quickly crossed the beautiful lobby. She barely had time to look around and admire the hotel’s stunning interior again, or to ogle the very wealthy and important-looking people sitting and walking around. 

In the car park, Shisui strode over to a sleek, dark car and quickly got in, slamming the door behind him. Naruto followed, sliding into the comfortable passenger seat — and was soon too busy marvelling at the stunning interior design of the vehicle to care about Shisui’s rudeness. Sasuke’s car back home was fancy, but this was something else entirely. It even smelled brand new.

Before long they were speeding down the highway in silence, making their way back to the food stalls from last night. She was tempted to ask Shisui to put on the radio — she really wanted to hear the Japanese charts and what they had to offer — but decided against it. Instead, Naruto ignored him in favour of quietly staring out of her window, taking in the sights of the city now that it was no longer dark.

The car sped across the highway with barely a bump, the ride smooth and luxurious, slowing down slightly once they reached the city streets. In daytime, Tokyo seemed like a different city entirely. It wasn’t too unlike the feel of New York, with its familiarly busy streets and towering skyscrapers, and how it was packed to the brim with busy people on their way to work or school or wherever. They crossed the street with a similar recklessness, chatting away on their phones and clutching their briefcases tight. The sky was overcast with thick white clouds, giving the place a rather gloomy feel. Even though she was a New Yorker, as someone who adored sunshine, Naruto felt a little bit sad. And without the gloss of nighttime, and the thrill provided by combination of the darkness and the city lights, it didn’t give her the same rush as the same as the previous evening.

Still, the food stalls looked just as good as they parked the car not too far away from the scene. It was even busier now, with a lot of office workers taking a late lunch and a large number of students, and even gaggles of tourists from all sorts of countries trying Japanese food for the first time. Naruto could practically taste the delicious ramen and almost started salivating.

Shisui unbuckled his seatbelt. “Let’s go,” he said, a little impatiently. 

Naruto got out of the car, feeling a little bit overdressed for such a low-key place. Indeed, a few people turned to look at her and Shisui as they made their way over to the humble benches, eyeing them up and down.

“You go and get what you want,” Shisui told her, taking a seat very casually. He reached into his pocket and got out several crisp bank notes, handing them over to Naruto. “I’ll wait right here.”

He immediately went back to texting on his phone without another word. Naruto stood there staring down at him, cash in hand, feeling extremely awkward and uncomfortable. 

“Uh,” she said. “You don’t want anything?” 

“I ate before I went to pick you up,” he told her, his tone suggesting he wouldn’t eat at a place like this even if he were dying of starvation.

Naruto smiled thinly. “Of course,” she muttered. She turned and walked over to Ichiraku Ramen, inhaling the dizzyingly-good scents of every food stall she passed as her stomach rumbled. She got so distracted she almost stumbled in her heels, but straightened up quickly before she could embarrass herself. 

The young woman from the night before, Ayame, greeted her with a smile as she entered the tiny ramen stall. Her apron was stained with little splashes of soy sauce and she was sweating slightly. “Naruto!” she said cheerfully. “So good to see you again — and so soon! Welcome, welcome.”

“Hi, Ayame,” Naruto grinned. She was a little embarrassed at being spotted at the same spot just one night later, but still rattled off her order and waited eagerly for her bowl. Ayame handed her the food on a little tray, and Naruto sighed happily at the sight and smell of the delicious ramen. It looked so good!

“Enjoy, and see you soon,” said Ayame with a wink, waving her goodbye before turning to serve the next customer in line.

Naruto headed back to the benches, where Shisui was now busy talking animatedly on the phone. As she sat down and began slurping at the delicious noodles, the taste making her do a little happy-dance, she realised the Uchiha's tone was a little bit playful and coy as he chatted away. Even though she couldn’t understand what he was saying, it was as if he was flirting with whoever was on the phone. 

Hmm. That was interesting.

She inhaled the noodles, quickly filling up her hungry stomach with the delicious meal. The food stalls gradually became busier as time passed and people made their way over for dinner after finishing up the workday, the spacious area growing louder and more populous as she ate. Though he was busy on his phone call, Shisui would glance at Naruto every now and then as she ate, giving her a carefully assessing gaze as though sizing her up. 

What was also really interesting was how Naruto noticed a number of people staring at her and Shisui, whispering among themselves excitedly. Some even took discreet photos on their phones. Naruto wanted to go over there and start a fight, but didn’t want to make a scene in case she’d just been imagining it all, and also because the ramen was so fucking good. 

Shisui hung up the phone soon after she finished, looking at Naruto and her empty bowl with a raised eyebrow. “All done?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” said Naruto, wiping at her mouth with a napkin. “Thanks.” She secretly wanted to ask for a second bowl, but resisted the urge to do so. She could tell this guy wouldn't humour her like Sasuke would. 

Honestly, she didn’t know what the purpose of this little lunch date was. They’d barely talked or interacted much because he’d been so absorbed by his cell phone, and the few questions she’d asked had been received with blunt, business-like replies. It was probably the weirdest lunch she’d ever had, and she couldn’t wait to complain about it to Sakura. 

She also couldn’t wait to kick Sasuke’s ass for not telling her about any of this. He seemed to have a kink for leaving her in awkward and uncomfortable situations. With a jolt, Naruto remembered that Shisui was Sasuke’s older brother’s best friend. Her boyfriend had described him as a nice-enough guy — but judging by the past hour, she strongly disagreed.

Shisui checked his silver wristwatch, rising elegantly from the bench. “We’re still a little early. They’ll still be setting up for the party, but we might as well start making our way there.” 

Naruto silently followed him as they returned to the parked car. Once they were driving again, she worked up the nerve to ask him something.

“Hey,” she said. “Back at the food stalls, I could’ve sworn I saw some people taking pictures of us. Did you see that?” 

"I was a bit busy,” said Shisui, speeding deftly through the busy streets. “But it’s nothing new. People love taking photos of the Uchiha family in public.”

Naruto turned to him, wide-eyed. “Wow,” she breathed. “And that doesn’t bother you?”

“Why should it?” Shisui shrugged. They approached a red light and the car came to a halt. “I don’t really care. These people are extremely poor and pathetic. If seeing my face gives them a thrill, they’re free to take as many photos as they like.”

Naruto frowned, feeling anger rise in her body at his disrespectful comment. “There’s nothing wrong with being poor,” she snapped. “You sound like a dick.”

She froze as soon as she said the words, realising how horribly rude they were. The guy was Sasuke's cousin! He had just bought her a meal and she was calling him names! What was wrong with her?

But in response to the insult, Shisui simply gave her a soft smile — she couldn’t quite tell if it was genuine or not. “You’re right. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I’m sorry, Uzumaki-san.”

Naruto bit her lip, feeling extremely uncomfortable and nervous. “Just call me Naruto,” she muttered, looking down at her feet.

The light turned green, and Shisui returned his attention to the road as he resumed driving. They remained silent for much of the journey on the way to the Uchiha family house, with Naruto burning with shame and anxiety, and Shisui seemingly unaffected by it all. 

“So, the party,” Naruto blurted out eventually. The silence was seriously fucking with her, and she needed to fill it with small talk. “How many people are going to be there?”

Shisui considered it. “Hmm. About…a hundred? Could be more, though. I didn’t organise it — Sasuke’s mother did.”

“A hundred people?” Naruto yelped. “How fucking big is your family?”

She internally groaned at her crude language, but Shisui laughed. “Don’t be silly. It’s a party for a number of prominent families within the city, many of whom are business partners with the Uchiha. There’s the Nara family, the Akimichi, the Hyuuga, the Nara…all incredibly important names. It’s going to be a very big night.” 

Naruto stared at him in astonishment. She couldn’t recognise any of those names, but she could practically hear the wealth and influence dripping from their titles. “But — I — I thought I was just meeting your family.” 

Shisui gave her another cold smile. “Oh, you will,” he promised, his tone slightly gleeful. 

Naruto bit her lip and stared out of the window, feeling a little sick. Yeah, she was definitely going to kick Sasuke’s ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wtf is Shisui's problem?! lol
> 
>  
> 
> If you found this chapter trash, I'm sorry! I promise, the next chapter will be way more interesting. The party takes place and Naruto meets the Uchihas, the Hyuugas (who will actually be major characters in this), Gaara, Choji, Rock Lee, and of course Ino/Sai. Not to mention she has a pretty intense time. Things will get a lot more exciting I swearrrr. 
> 
> Comments motivate and inspire me!!  
> (And they make me feel really happy ngl <3)
> 
> Until next time...


	6. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....
> 
> it's literally been a month since i updated, wow. Life has been TOO MUCH lately. You know how it is. 
> 
> This update is 10k chapters ... so I hope that makes up for my absence. And the next chapter won't take as long, I promise.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Naruto finally meets some key characters and feelings are felt. I apologise in advance for my characterisation of some of our faves. Lol
> 
> I also apologise for any typos or grammar mistakes or anything shaky in terms of writing. I tried.

The ride to the Uchiha family home proceeded rather uneventfully, with the sleek black car speeding through the darkening Tokyo streets. Shisui continued to ignore her completely, but Naruto found she didn’t really care. She was too busy internally panicking at the thought of what was about to come.

Twenty minutes later, Shisui took an exit that had them leaving the busy highways in favour of a less densely-packed road, and and then took a sharp left that had the car swerving wildly. Naruto yelped and clutched the car handle ceiling, making Shisui let out a little chuckle.

Before long, they were making their way down a narrow, silent and empty street with large trees that loomed above them, desolate save for a few massive and gorgeous houses that looked like something out of a magazine. The lush green scenery of the trees and the sudden quiet was overwhelming, but also rather pretty. Naruto watched in fascination as they continued that way for a rather long time, the twists and turns of the road making her feel a little carsick, but Shisui seemed completely unbothered, as though he’d taken this route hundreds of times.

Then a horrible thought struck her, and she glanced sharply at Shisui from the corner of her eye. She didn’t really know this guy. What if he wasn’t Shisui Uchiha at all, but actually some random creep? A random creep who wanted to kill her and was now driving her to an empty spot so he could murder and chop her up with minimal fuss? His weird, cold and detached behaviour definitely pointed towards the possibility.

Naruto looked out of the window and briefly considered throwing herself out the car. He was driving way too fast for her body to not get completely fucked up from such a move, but she’d probably survive, wouldn’t she? A couple of broken ribs and bruises was definitely better than being dead in a ditch somewhere. 

Before she could think about about it further, or even do something about it, Shisui spoke up.

“Sasuke tells me you’re a barista,” he said.

Naruto paused, looking at him suspiciously. Okay, so she hadn’t mentioned that to him at all. That didn’t make him a not-murderer! “Yes…?” she replied slowly.

“That must be nice,” he shrugged casually. 

She merely shrugged and nodded, still eyeing him warily. Thankfully, he didn’t try to talk to her for much longer, because he took another sharp turn and started speeding up.

Naruto screeched again and began panicking internally, telling herself that this is it, I’m going to die here, Sakura I’m sorry for being an idiot, Sasuke you’d better take care of Kurama you dick, it’s your fault for not picking me up —

“We’re here,” said Shisui calmly, slowing the car down a bit. 

Naruto paused, blinking at him. “Huh?”

Shisui gave her a smirk that made him look so much like Sasuke it was terrifying, and gestured towards her window before turning his attention back to the road. Naruto turned and looked out of her window, her mouth dropping open in astonishment.

The Uchiha family home was massive. Way bigger than the other residences they’d passed along the way. In fact, it made those homes look like garden sheds and garages. Beyond the tall leafy trees and a thick, seemingly never-ending fence with foreboding Japanese letters on them, up on a large, dark hill, the stunning mansion loomed over the forest.

And it was beautiful, too. She couldn’t make out too much, not from all the way down at the bottom of the hill. It looked like a villa or a resort of some kind, glowing brilliantly with lights in the late afternoon. Naruto knew that it was going to be even more impressive on the inside. 

“This is all Uchiha property,” Shisui told her, his voice a little smug. Naruto couldn’t really blame him. If her family owned something this big and grandiose, she’d be bragging about it non-stop, too.

The car drove up the hill slowly, slipping deeper into the narrow and quiet street, before reaching a queue of other vehicles lined up in front of a very official-looking gate. Naruto could see armed guards checking each car carefully, assessing the papers people inside the car were handing over to them, before waving them through when they were satisfied.

“Is this really all necessary?” Naruto muttered. 

Shisui gave her a look as though she was stupid. “Of course.”

Then one of the guards arrived at Shisui’s door, tapping casually on the window. Shisui rolled down the window with a raised eyebrow. As soon as the man saw the Uchiha’s face, he paled a bit and stumbled backwards before bowing deeply, speaking rapidly in Japanese. When he straightened up again, he waved them through a bit desperately, hollering to the guard next to the gate to let them pass. 

Shisui let out an amused snort, and sped past the gate and into the driveway, reaching the back of yet another queue of cars. “We’re here,” he announced. 

Without warning, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leapt out of the car, slamming the door shut after him and disappearing. Naruto, feeling extremely annoyed, was about to open her own door — but the sight of the mansion up close was enough to make her freeze and stare. 

The mansion had looked big from the bottom of the hill, but now it just looked never-ending, its three storeys looming over her threateningly. The driveway itself was shockingly big, with several cars queued up and waiting for valets. Neatly-trimmed bushes and big exotic trees surrounded the space. In the centre of it all was a gorgeous fountain that looked more like a swimming pool spouting water, its light making it glow a pale blue. 

The mansion itself was stunning. It was a pale cream colour on the outside, with wide windows and large pillars framing both sides of the large, open door; big balconies and railings on the upper floors, were a few guests were already standing and chatting idly. The sounds of music and laughter streamed out of the house and into the driveway, letting Naruto know the party had already gotten started. 

As she stared, she saw men and women clad in expensive suits and gorgeous dresses walking into the house, looking like they belonged on a red carpet. They were welcomed by smart-looking maids and butlers, who bowed deeply as they passed. Valets were rushing around, following orders desperately. 

Suddenly, someone knocked on the car door, making Naruto jump. She froze as her door was opened by a young valet who bowed respectfully upon seeing her.

“Good evening, Uzumaki-san,” he said, his voice hesitant. “Uchiha-sama has asked me to take his car.” He gestured towards a young maid who came rushing over, also giving Naruto a bow. “This is Mari. She will escort you inside.”

Naruto blinked at the sight of the two youngsters waiting for her, and gingerly took off her seatbelt and got out of the car. She felt extremely uncomfortable and out of place, but forced herself to smile as Mari led her up the driveway and into the property.

“Uchiha-sama is waiting for you inside,” Mari told her.

“Please tell me you mean Sasuke,” Naruto said.

Mari blinked, and smiled. “Yes.”

Naruto sighed. “Finally,” she mumbled. 

They made their way up the steps and into the mansion. Naruto found her steps faltering a little bit at the sight of the mansion’s interior. It was even more gorgeous on the inside, wide and spacious, with a massive winding staircase reaching up to what looked like an endless number of rooms. She took in the sight of the pale, sleek marble floors, the enormous chandelier hanging above them and the glowing lamps placed around, the expensive paintings and mirrors on every wall…and this was just the entrance. 

It was no surprise Naruto found herself feeling a little bit dizzy as she took everything in, mouth open in astonishment and awe. She couldn’t believe Sasuke had grown up in a home like this. It oozed luxury and decadence, and she felt so small and out of place. 

She pictured a young Sasuke coming home after a long day at school, waltzing into this spotless, massive mansion nonchalantly, rolling his eyes as loyal maids and butlers waited on him hands and foot. Naruto knew they’d talked things out, and that there was really no point in getting annoyed all over again — but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling a little bit of resentment. 

Naruto herself had grown up in a dark and miserable orphanage where the electricity would often go out, and the bunk-beds were old and rickety, and the children would sometimes have to share a single bathroom between all thirty-two of them. 

It was clear that they came from completely different worlds. She scowled at the thought, and shook her head as she followed Mari. That line of thinking wouldn’t get her anywhere. So what if Sasuke had grown up rich? He loved her, and she loved him. And they had a life with each other now. A wonderful, happy life. 

They walked deeper into the house and inside one of the enormous spacious sitting rooms, where a number of guests stood mingling with each other, chatting happily as they sipped from champagne glasses. Naruto absorbed the sight of the intricate wallpaper, the luxurious armchairs, sophisticated coffee tables above the dark carpeting and gorgeous flower arrangements in brilliant classical vases, giving the room a very royal look.

But then something happened. As soon as Mari and Naruto stepped inside the room, Naruto felt everyone’s gaze turn towards her. People tried to be discreet about it, peering over their glasses of champagne as they stared at her, but some of them gawked openly, looking her up and down. A few even began whispering among themselves, making Naruto frown.

She felt even more out of place, clad in her black dress with a white bow that now looked incredibly childish. These people were wearing names like Armani and Gucci and Louis Vuitton, the kind of stores Naruto and Sakura would simply walk past wistfully during their outings at the mall. 

But then someone called out, “Naruto.”

Naruto sighed in relief as Sasuke made his way over to her, his brow furrowed in concern. As soon as he reached her and Mari, the young maid bowed and excused herself, rushing off to attend to some other guests.

“Hello, Uchiha-sama,” Naruto said mockingly, giving him a scowl as she crossed her arms. “So nice of you to remember I exist! Where the hell have you been?”

Sasuke frowned. “I could ask you the same thing,” he said coldly. “I sent the driver over to the hotel to pick you up, but you weren’t there. Where have you been?”

“Your cousin picked me up!” Naruto exclaimed. “You know, Shisui. He said you sent him over to come and get me.” Once she said the words aloud, she knew there was more to the story than she was realising. 

Sasuke’s frown deepened as he took in her words. Then he shook his head, scowling angrily. “I never sent Shisui to pick you up. He must have been acting on my brother’s orders. Typical,” he spat, looking furious. “Fucking typical.” 

Before Naruto could process this new information, he glared at her. “But what were you thinking, getting into a car with him? For all you know, he could’ve been anybody.”

Naruto shrugged, rubbing her arms self-consciously. She knew she’d been stupid, but she’d felt so confused since she first arrived in the country! Hell, since she first got on that plane! It wasn’t her fault for getting so…swept up in the chaos of it all. 

“Well, if I had said no and told him to fuck off — which I totally wanted to do, by the way — you’d be complaining about me showing you up and embarrassing you. I was just trying to save face,” Naruto told Sasuke, fluttering her eyelashes in a way she knew irritated him. She was bullshitting and they both knew it, but it was worth a shot. 

Sasuke rolled his eyes, still scowling. But instead of pushing the matter, he merely said, “Fine. It’s fine.” His tone was clipped and cold, not hiding any of his true annoyance. 

Naruto reached out to take his hand, feeling a little guilty. “Don’t be mad at me, Sasuke,” she pleaded. “I’ll be on my best behaviour from now on, I promise.” 

Sasuke looked her in the eye, his dark gaze unreadable for a few moments, and then he let out a deep sigh. He ran his free hand through his hair. “I’m not mad at you,” he said. “I’m mad at my brother and my cousin for constantly meddling.” 

Naruto bit her lip, still feeling uneasy. Sasuke reached over to wrap an arm around her, squeezing her tight. “I’m not mad at you, Naruto,” he said again.

Naruto slowly relaxed against him, feeling relieved. Whenever he got angry, Sasuke was capable of staying angry for a ridiculously long time. Once, back home, they’d had a terrible fight over something absolutely meaningless — and he hadn’t spoken to her for two entire days. As someone who couldn’t hold a grudge, Naruto had felt like shit the entire time. It was only when she confronted him in the bathroom (by jumping into the shower when he was washing his hair) that she was able to shock him into talking to her. But she doubted she’d be able to pull off such a stunt where they were right now.

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet,” Sasuke said, starting to lead her further into the room, where the party was now in full swing. 

“Really?” Naruto said, looking up at him in surprise. “Who?”

Sasuke gave her a soft, genuine smile that caught her off-guard. “My mother.”

 

 

 

 

Mikoto Uchiha was, to Naruto’s utter astonishment, lovely.

Despite being in her late fifties, she was downright gorgeous, with smooth features and glittering dark eyes. She was wearing an elegant navy blue dress and a stunning pearl necklace, and was deep in conversation with a guest.

Sasuke called out to her in Japanese, making her turn to face him. She smiled at the sight of her son, her whole face lighting up in happiness. There was something so pure about it that Naruto’s heart hurt. She wondered if her own mother would look at her like that, if she was still alive. 

But Mikoto’s smile faltered when she saw Naruto standing next to him.

Naruto froze as Mikoto looked her up and down, slowly assessing her. But then the smile returned, warm and genuine.

“Naruto, I’d like you to meet my mother,” said Sasuke. 

Naruto bowed slightly, awkward and uncomfortable, but she hoped the big smile on her face would let Mikoto overlook that. “It’s lovely to meet you,” she said, fiddling with her fingers.

Mikoto tilted her head in response. “I am very happy to meet you as well, Naruto. After all this time.”

Naruto blushed self-consciously. “Uh. Yeah. You look lovely, Mrs. Uchiha.”

Sasuke’s mother smiled again. “Thank you.”

They spoke a little further about Naruto’s work and future goals in life. Mikoto seemed very impressed at the idea of Naruto going back to school to become a teacher.

“It is important for one to work hard in life,” Mikoto said calmly. “No shortcuts or cheating. It is something I always taught my sons.”

Naruto nodded eagerly, relating to the woman’s words. Working hard? She’d been doing that since she was a kid

“It is a shame Sasuke’s father isn’t here to meet you as well,” continued Mikoto. “He is working very hard in Kobe.”

“Oh,” said Naruto. “Please tell him I said hi.”

Mikoto’s lips twitched in slight amusement. “Of course.”

A maid came into the room and rushed over to Mikoto, leaning in to whisper something in her ear. She frowned at the young woman's words and sighed.

“Chaos in the kitchens again,” she said. “I must go and check what is happening. Naruto. You will come over for dinner, of course?”

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who shrugged and nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’d love to,” she responded shyly.

“Sasuke, introduce Naruto to everyone,” Mikoto told her son. She turned back to Naruto and smiled. “Until next time, Naruto Uzumaki.” She slowly walked away, reaching out to greet the occasional guest.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, beaming. “Your mom is awesome. Seriously! She was so nice.” She sighed wistfully. “I think she really liked me.”

“Why wouldn’t she like you?” said Sasuke. “You’re wonderful. And I want other members of my family to know how wonderful you are.”

Naruto chuckled, feeling herself blush a little at his surprisingly romantic statement. Sasuke led her over to the other side of the room, where a couple were arguing loudly with each other.

“I’m serious, Obito!” The woman was saying. She had a slight accent and was ranting furiously. “Everything’s a joke to you! When are you going to grow up?” 

“Excuse me?” the man named Obito replied, looking deeply offended. “On your Tinder profile, you specifically stated you were into guys with a sense of humour. So what is the truth, Rin?” To Naruto’s astonishment, his eyes filled with tears and he sniffled, “Why can’t you accept me?”

Rin rolled her eyes, looking disgusted. “Ugh, I cannot stand you sometimes!” 

Sasuke coughed quietly. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.” 

The couple turned to him, falling silent. Obito immediately grinned and whooped in excitement, reaching out to hug Sasuke tight. Naruto resisted the urge to laugh as her boyfriend expression shifted into one of pure disgust.

“Sasuke, my boy!” Obito said cheerfully, patting him hard on the back. “Long time, no see! How have you been?”

Sasuke sharply pulled back from the embrace, straightening up his suit jacket and scowling. “Uncle Obito, we had lunch together a few hours ago.”

Obito blinked innocently at him. “No, I don’t remember that. It must’ve been Tobi that you saw. Seriously, Sasuke, you can’t tell the difference between the two of us after all this time?” 

What the hell, thought Naruto to herself. This must be Sasuke’s crazy uncle Obito. Talk about weird. 

As though he was used to his behaviour, Sasuke merely sighed and shook his head, gesturing towards Naruto. “Uncle, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Uzumaki Naruto.” 

But surprisingly, Obito didn’t even look at Naruto. He merely continued to grin innocently at Sasuke as though he’d been reminded of some very good news. “I love Naruto. I tell you, ramen just isn’t the same without it. In fact, I think I’ll go to the kitchens and get a bowl for myself. I’ll see you later, Sasuke!” 

He spun on his heel and skipped off. Naruto watched him go, astonished and resisting the urge to laugh out loud. What the hell was going on?

The woman named Rin sighed heavily. She reached out to shake Naruto’s hand, which the blonde took eagerly. She was very pretty, really, with sleek brown hair cut into a bob and very youthful features.

“I’m very sorry about my husband, Naruto,” Rin told her. “He’s a total idiot, but that’s what happens when you marry a guy for his money, eh? The things we ladies put up with…” She winked at Naruto and nudged her, as though they were sharing an inside joke.

Naruto realised with a jolt that Rin was assuming she was with Sasuke for his money. She also realised Rin was probably with Obito for the exact same reason, and gave the woman a scowl. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she told her coldly. 

Rin blinked, and then gave her a dirty look. “C’mon, sweetie! I know all the tea. You’re not fooling anybody with your Little-Miss-Innocent act.” She looked over at Sasuke and winked at him. “But maybe Sasuke’s into that, hmm?” 

She gave them both a big fake smile and said, “Well, I have to go and find my darling husband before he embarrasses me any further. Bye bye now!” And with that, she was gone.

“What the fuck is her problem?” demanded Naruto, turning to Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed. “She’s some random Australian girl my uncle hooked up with on Tinder during a business trip. He was never the sharpest tool in the shed, but he is very rich. She took advantage of the situation and managed to get knocked up on the third date. They were married a few weeks later.” 

Naruto looked up at her boyfriend, stunned. “Sasuke, your family is messy.”

Sasuke said, “I know.”

 

 

 

 

He led Naruto around the room and into the next one, introducing her to various people. Naruto met random aunts and uncles and cousins, business partners and old family friends. So many people it made her head spin.

But what really made her feel uncomfortable was how people responded to her. They’d see Sasuke and beam, reaching out for him and calling his name eagerly. But then they’d see Naruto by his side, and his arm wrapped around her almost protectively, and the smiles would fall. They’d glare and scowl, look her up and down suspiciously, whispering among themselves right until they were both in front of them. And even when they put on the fake niceties, the bitterness and resentment would still come through. 

“This is my girlfriend, Uzumaki Naruto,” Sasuke said to some guests for the fiftieth time that night. 

The guests in question were now an elderly group of ladies who had cared for Sasuke and his brother when they were children. Naruto was excited to meet them, considering the big role they’d played in her boyfriend’s life. She fixed them with a huge smile that she hoped would make her look friendly, but instead it made them all recoil in disgust. They all looked her up and down rudely. One of them leaned in to the others and whispered something that was obviously very funny, because they all began giggling like schoolgirls.

Then Sasuke snapped something at them in Japanese that made them all freeze and bow apologetically. They looked at Naruto again and all fixed her with fake smiles before muttering something noncommittal and walking away.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, faking her own smile. “You don’t have to be mean to them. They’re just old ladies.” 

“Trust me, if you heard what they said, you’d be angry too.”

Sasuke also introduced her to Temari’s siblings. The bride-to-be wasn’t at the party herself, because she was busy with her own plans, but Naruto met her brothers Gaara and Kankuro. 

The guy named Gaara looked downright terrifying. His red hair, pale complexion and dark-rimmed eyes made him look like some kind of weirdo Naruto would find stumbling around the early morning streets of New York. He also refused to say a word, instead staring at Naruto like he wanted to kill her. Kankuro seemed a little bit more…normal, but was extremely loud and annoying.

“So you’re Sasuke’s girlfriend, huh,” he said, looking right at her cleavage. Seriously? Her dress wasn’t even that revealing! “Where’d you pick this one up, Uchiha? The bar? The club? Seriously, man, tell me. I’m in the mood for blondes recently.”

Sasuke’s eye twitched and clenched his jaw in anger, looking murderous. “If you’ll know what’s good for you, Kankuro, you’ll stop talking now.”

Gaara spoke, his voice deathly quiet. “Are you threatening my brother?” 

Sasuke and Gaara stared at each other for a long moment, the fury and dark energy radiating from both of them making Naruto tense up, her gaze flickering between the two guys anxiously. Kankuro was grinning widely in the background. What a douche.

Thankfully, at that moment, a waiter passed them with a tray of champagne. Naruto reached for two glasses and quickly handed one to her boyfriend, urging him to drink. There was no point in letting a fight break out over something so stupid. She offered the other one to Gaara, who stared at the glass and then into her face as if he didn’t understand what she was doing. It was a very awkward moment, with Naruto’s hand outstretched and Gaara just looking at her with those cold eyes, but then Kankuro snatched the champagne out of her hand and gulped it down eagerly. 

“Thanks, blondie,” he told her.

Naruto rolled her eyes. How original. She grabbed Sasuke’s hand and dragged him away, ignoring the way he was muttering darkly under his breath about wanting to ‘beat the shit out of that clown’.

“Calm down, Sasuke,” she said teasingly.

“I’m calm!” he snapped. “I’m going to the bathroom. Stay here.” He stormed off, making Naruto laugh out loud. What a drama queen.

Moments later, though, she was approached by two women who looked like catwalk models. They stormed up to her and shoved their empty champagne glasses in her face, barking orders at her in Japanese.

Naruto blinked at them. “Huh?”

The women rolled their eyes impatiently, gesturing towards their glasses repeatedly. She realised with a jolt that they were asking her for a refill, and that they thought she was a maid. 

“Oh, no,” Naruto said, waving her hands desperately. “I think you guys have the wrong idea. I don’t work here!” She looked around for Sasuke desperately, wishing he was here to translate. "I'm here with Sasuke. You know, Sasuke Uchiha? This is his home.”

The women didn’t seem to understand what she was saying, because they repeated their orders, looking increasingly annoyed. And for some reason, Naruto felt genuinely panicked. Her customer service training as a barista seemed to kick in very powerfully, making her wave her hands again and try to explain her point of view instead of just walking away.

To her utter relief, Sasuke appeared by her side a few moments later, looking suspicious of the two ladies harassing Naruto. At the sight of him, though, they immediately stiffened and plastered on some big lipstick smiles, their voices becoming soft and girlish as they greeted him. 

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow and replied monotonously, though that didn’t stop them from fluttering their eyelashes seductively. One of them even reached out to stroke his arm, the other one practically eye-fucking him.

It wasn’t the first time Naruto had seen women blatantly flirting with her boyfriend right in front of her — it happened with waitresses, girls at the convenience store, and she was certain he was hit on at work pretty much every day. But it still made Naruto feel extremely annoyed and uneasy. Uneasy because it played on her insecurity and secret worry that Sasuke would someday realise how much he was out of her league, and would move onto someone better than her, sweeter, prettier, smarter, nicer. 

These women looked like they belonged on the cover of Vogue, and she looked like a damn housemaid good for carrying drinks and attending to guests.

But Sasuke merely snatched his arm back and gave them both a dirty look, before wrapping his arm around Naruto and coldly telling them something in Japanese. The women looked at Naruto with wide eyes, and then looked at each other before pointing at her, cackling wildly and walking away. Naruto did her best to hide her scowl and flush of humiliation. 

“Is everyone here a douche?” she muttered. “Seriously, what is this, Mean Girls?”

“Ignore them,” Sasuke told her. 

A maid passed them at that exact moment, offering drinks to the guests. Naruto realised her black dress looked pretty much identical to what she was wearing, and found herself unable to blame the two women for assuming she was a maid. She shook her head, feeling extremely embarrassed. Still, they didn’t have to be such bitches about it.

“My brother just arrived,” Sasuke said. “He called me a few minutes ago. He wants to meet you. Upstairs, away from all these morons.”

Naruto nodded slowly, tensing up to the point where she couldn't even laugh at her boyfriend’s casual rudeness. They made their way out of the room, ignoring the guests who all stared at Naruto in a mixture of disgust and fascination, and headed back towards the entrance to go up the stairs. 

She was about to meet Sasuke’s brother. Someone who was, unlike all these petty guests, actually important to him. Someone he respected, admired and no doubt idolised — even if he did complain about how intrusive and overbearing he could be. Naruto swallowed roughly, feeling slightly terrified, but determined to give the best possible impression.

Sasuke led her down a quiet, dimly lit hallway on the first floor. There were a number of beautiful paintings and photographs hanging on the wall. Everyone in them shared the same dark hair and eyes, pale face and elegant features, all staring at Naruto like she didn’t belong. She was beginning to realise just how big of a deal the Uchiha family were, and it unnerved her to no end.

They reached a room at the end of the hall, with Sasuke knocking on the closed door quickly. Naruto could see that even he looked a little bit nervous — though he reached for her hand and squeezed comfortingly, making her smile.

The door opened. The man standing before them was tall, with long black hair tied into a loose ponytail and dark, unreadable eyes. He was wearing a suit, but had removed the jacket to reveal his crisp white shirt. 

Naruto inhaled and gave him her biggest, sunniest smile. He blinked at her as though taken aback. 

“Hi!” she blurted out before Sasuke could even speak. “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Naruto!” 

Itachi stared at her for a moment. So did Sasuke, looking a mixture of annoyed and amused. But then Itachi said, “I’m Itachi, Sasuke’s older brother. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

That made Naruto’s grin widen in relief. “It’s so good to meet you too!” she said cheerfully. 

Then she reached over to hug him, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace and squeezing slightly. It was the kind of hug that she would give Sasuke after a long day at work, making him melt into her embrace. But Itachi merely stiffened, his body tensing up as he pulled away from her with a slight frown.

Naruto swallowed awkwardly, but decided to carry on as though nothing had happened. “So, how are you? I hear you’re really, really busy. Sasuke tells me you’re working all the time! That must suck,” she said stupidly. 

Itachi looked at her for another long, awkward moment as though she was a particularly interesting zoo animal. “I am…busy,” he confirmed finally. “Working on a lot of things. You know how it is.” Naruto wondered if there was a slight sarcastic edge to his voice as he said that, or if she was just imagining things in her paranoia. 

Itachi stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come in,” he told them.

Naruto and Sasuke stepped into the room. It was a fairly large office room, but not too lavishly decorated. It had a beautiful desk and computer set up and an impressive bookshelf in the corner. 

But to Naruto’s astonishment, Shisui was sitting in the corner, busy texting on his phone rather excitedly. He looked up as they walked in and gave them both a wolfish smile and a wave.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he greeted. “Naru-chan! How’s it going?”

“Go and make some tea,” snapped Itachi, looking annoyed. 

Shisui pouted, but did as he was told and got up, stretching languidly. He winked at Naruto as he passed, making her stare at him and wonder where all that personality had been when he was driving her around the city. Naruto and Sasuke sat down on the two chairs in front of Itachi’s desk. She felt like she was at a job interview, or like she was in the principal’s office being disciplined for something. 

Once he was gone, Itachi sighed and leaned back in his chair. “He was probably texting someone off of that dating app. Cinder.”

“Oh, you mean Tinder?” said Naruto, amused.“What is it with you Uchihas and that app? That Obito dude met his wife off of it, apparently.” She chortled to herself.

Naruto only realised she had messed up when Sasuke tensed beside her and Itachi narrowed his eyes at her disapprovingly. “Uncle Obito has not been the same since his accident from a few years ago,” he said coldly. 

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Oh my god,” she said, panicking. “I didn’t mean — I didn’t know — Sasuke didn’t tell me he’d been in an accident!” She turned to look at her boyfriend, who looked downright guilty.

Itachi tutted under his breath. “Why am I not surprised,” he said slowly. “My little brother has always been rather…forgetful.”

Sasuke scowled but said nothing. Naruto tried to give Itachi another winning smile, but he did not return it. Instead, he asked her bluntly, “So I take it you met our mother?”

Naruto nodded, her smile easing into a genuine one. “Yeah. She’s so lovely and kind. Not to mention beautiful!”

Itachi reached over to toy with a pen laying on his desk. “Mother is known for her charm and friendly nature, and she always loves guests.”  
Something in the way he said guests made Naruto feel low all of a sudden, like she was just some random partygoer who would be a distant memory before long. Did Mikoto really just greet her out of politeness? No. Her smile had been warm and kind. 

“Sasuke tells me you are an orphan,” Itachi said suddenly. 

Naruto froze at his words. “I — yeah. My parents died when I was a kid.”

“That must have been very upsetting,” Itachi said evenly. No shit, Naruto wanted to reply. 

“Of course it was,” Naruto told him, trying to remain calm. His words felt like they were pricking at her skin, like he was deliberately trying to piss her off.

“Growing up in the system must have been difficult, too,” continued Itachi. “A complete lack of stability and opportunity.” He paused to look at her carefully, as though wondering if the effects of that still lingered on her.

“Yeah,” Naruto said quietly. “But I didn’t let it bring me down. I’ve always had plenty of optimism.”

“Hmm,” said Itachi. “Of course not. I’m sure you’ve worked extremely hard in life. Remind me, what is it you do now?” His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Naruto lifted her head up stubbornly, aware of what he was trying to do. “I work in a coffee shop,” she said bluntly. “But I’m hoping to become a teacher someday. I’m saving up to go to school.”

Itachi said, “A teacher? That’s nice. Respectable. You’re following your dream.”

“Yes,” said Naruto. “Exactly.”

“Dreams,” repeated Itachi. “That’s what Americans seem to obsess over. Follow your dreams. It doesn’t matter if it’s impossible or just plain stupid. Follow your heart and follow your dreams.” He looked over at Sasuke and gave him a little smirk. “If only we had that luxury.”

She didn't understand why he was being so mean to her and why he was treating her like she was dirt. It wasn't the first time she'd been treated in such a manner. Growing up in the world she had, it was commonplace to have people look at you and talk to you like that. It was only with her friends and Sasuke that Naruto had finally experienced real love and affection. 

But Itachi's behaviour was shocking after how warmly Mikoto had greeted her, and it was hurtful because she knew how much Itachi meant to Sasuke. She didn't want for all their meetings to be awkward and uncomfortable. 

As she sat before him, Naruto tried to figure out what she'd done to offend Itachi Uchiha, wondering if it was just her existence that made him uncomfortable.

“We should get back to the party,” Sasuke said suddenly. He looked extremely angry at his brother, his tone devoid of any brotherly warmth or respect. “C’mon, Naruto.”

Itachi said nothing, instead watching Naruto carefully as she rose from her seat and followed her boyfriend to the door.

“It was nice to meet you, Naruto,” Itachi called. “Take care.”

“Let’s go,” Sasuke said before she could reply, reaching out to take her by the hand and pull her away. He didn't even acknowledge his brother. The door shut behind them with a thud.

Sasuke immediately turned and began storming down the hallway. Naruto tried her best to keep up, feeling sick to her stomach, still trying to figure out what the fuck Itachi’s problem was with her. She'd made a few stupid comments and had forgotten that not everybody liked hugs - but that didn't warrant such cruelty. 

“He hates me,” she said aloud. “Wow.” 

Sasuke scoffed but kept walking quickly towards the staircase. “I can’t fucking stand him sometimes. Ignore him, Naruto.”

“I don’t know how I can ignore that, Sasuke!” she snapped, feeling angry and humiliated all of a sudden. “That’s your brother. Not some random person. Your family.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” said Sasuke, stopping in his tracks to face her. “You can’t let him bring you down. You’re amazing, Naruto. I love you and I’m proud of you and that’s all that fucking matters. End of story.” 

He turned and began walking away. Naruto frowned. Why didn’t he understand how she felt? Why wasn’t he even trying to understand? 

She let out a frustrated groan and followed him.

 

 

 

 

They came across Shikamaru not long after. He was standing with an overweight man with brown hair, who was munching animatedly on some snacks. They saw Sasuke and Naruto and waved in a friendly way.

“You guys don’t look very happy,” said Shikamaru as soon as they reached him. “Hey, Naruto.”

Naruto smiled tiredly, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. “Hi, Shikamaru,” she said. “Yeah, I don’t think people here like me very much.” 

Shikamaru shrugged. “Most people here are idiots. Their opinions shouldn’t matter.” 

“Amen to that,” said the overweight man with a smile. “They all call me Fatso and other rude names. Does it stop me from coming to every party and raiding the kitchen? Nope.”

Naruto let out a laugh. “Great mindset.”

He extended a slightly greasy hand that made Sasuke grimace. “Nice to meet you, Naruto. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Chouji Akimichi.”

“Oh!” Naruto said, shaking his hand. “You’re Shikamaru’s best friend! But not his best man…?” She trailed off at the end, afraid she’d offended him.

“A true tragedy,” said Chouji with a grin. “Still! I got to choose the wedding cake, so it’s alright really.”

Naruto smiled. She could tell Chouji was a nice person with a genuine soul. 

Sasuke’s phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and answered it, face twisting into a scowl. He muttered a few words in response and hung up. “It’s my brother.” He didn’t explain why Itachi was calling him, but merely said, “I’ll be back soon,” and stormed off. Naruto was getting used to having her boyfriend leave her at random intervals.

Naruto turned back to Shikamaru and Chouji, blinking awkwardly. “Uh…sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry,” said Shikamaru tiredly. “We’re used to his dramatics by now.”

“So I hear you work in a New York coffee shop, Naruto,” said Chouji. “Tell me what that’s like.”

Naruto grinned and began sharing some of her most outrageous stories from work.

 

 

 

 

Ino Yamanaka stood at the open bar, gulping down her wine and trying to keep herself from screaming.

So she was finally here. Naruto fucking Uzumaki. The dirty little bitch who had stolen Sasuke-kun from her! She was even more hideous in person. Seriously, had she never even heard of plastic surgery? She was way too short and fat and her face was too round. What was Sasuke thinking? Couldn’t he see how awful she looked, and how out of place she seemed? Ino pictured a better world, one where Sasuke was leading her around the party, hand on the small of her back, tucking a strand of her platinum blonde hair behind her ear…

Ino watched as Naruto chatted animatedly to Shikamaru and Chouji. She had grown up with the two, but she couldn’t stand how laid-back they could be. She also hated the fact that Naruto had won them over, and how Naruto’s presence seemed to act as a buffer that made Sasuke himself relax a little.

It was time Ino introduced herself. 

 

 

 

 

“Yeah, so he kept demanding we give him a discount just because it’s Black Friday, even though we never do that, and then he actually threatened to beat us all up! Even though he was like, eighty years old—”

“Um, excuse me?” interrupted a voice.

Naruto turned around, pausing in the middle of her story about the time a customer caused a riot at the cafe (a classic that would even have Sasuke doubled over in laughter). 

The woman standing there was extremely pretty and slender (seriously, everyone in this place seemed capable of doubling as a catwalk model!), with long blonde hair and light blue eyes. She was wearing a shimmery gold dress and was smiling warmly at her.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “Especially since that story sounded really funny. I’m Ino,” she said, extending her hand. 

Naruto accepted the handshake, a little in awe of the woman’s good looks. In fact, come to think of it, she was pretty sure she’d seen her on TV once. “I’m Naruto,” she responded a little unsurely.

Ino grinned, eyes twinkling. “I know who you are. You’re pretty much all anyone’s been talking about.”

Naruto frowned. The thought made her very uneasy. She hated the idea of being the butt of everyone’s jokes.

Then Chouji said good-naturedly, “Hey Ino. Naruto, meet Ino. We grew up together.”

“Really?” said Naruto. She seemed so…glamorous.

Ino reached over to nudge Shikamaru and Chouji in the side. “Yup. Believe it or not, these two are like my brothers. My annoying bratty little brothers.” She fixed Naruto with a smile. “It’s good to finally meet you, Naruto. Temari says you’ll be coming to the bachelorette party this weekend.” 

Naruto nodded with a smile. “Yeah. I’m really excited.” 

“We’re going to have such a good time!” Ino beamed.

She was so friendly and cheerful that it made Naruto relax. Even though she was drop-dead gorgeous, there was something so chatty and free-spirited about her that made her seem very normal.

Shikamaru bluntly said, “I didn’t know you were coming, Ino.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think I was coming either,” Ino replied with a casual shrug. “I had a lot of work to finish up at the office, but I managed to get out of there early. My family own a jewellery company. Yamanaka.”

“Wait, seriously?” said Naruto, eyes widening. “My friend Sakura has a Yamanaka necklace. It’s so gorgeous! And really expensive. That’s so awesome.”

“Yeah,” said Ino a little smugly but not unkindly. “Since I’ll be taking over the company soon, I have to attend all sorts of boring meetings.” 

They chatted a little while longer. Ino was curious about Naruto and asked all sorts of questions about her work, what she liked to do in her free time, even what her favourite subject in school had been. It was a little overwhelming, but Naruto was honestly pleased to have someone finally show interest in her and want to get to know her.

Then Chouji let out a little belch. “I’m still kinda hungry,” he announced. “Shikamaru, come with me to the kitchens.” 

Naruto looked at Shikamaru, who was watching Ino with a suspicious look in his eye. Then the Nara heir slowly shrugged. “Whatever.”

“I’ll look after Naruto,” said Ino, linking her arm with the blonde.

“I’m sure you will,” said Shikamaru, something cold and untrusting in his voice. Ino ignored him and pulled her away, leaving Naruto to wonder what that was about. Maybe they dated a while back and it was still awkward? 

“So how’s Sasuke?” Ino asked immediately as soon as they were alone. 

They were strolling around the party now, with Ino occasionally fixing some of the other guests with a smile and a friendly wave. Most of them would return it openly, but some of them were smirking as they saw her arm linked with Naruto’s.

Naruto tried her best to ignore them and replied, “Uh. He’s okay.”

“It’s good to have him home,” Ino replied a little wistfully. When Naruto blinked at her, she quickly added, “I mean, it must be nice for his family. They missed him a lot.”

“Yeah,” said Naruto uneasily. “I’m sure they did.”

“Yeah,” repeated Ino. “Itachi wasn’t too happy when he left, but he knew Sasuke would come home eventually. And he he brought a smoking hot girlfriend back with him. I’m sure everyone's so excited.”

“Excited?” asked Naruto. “For what?”

Ino looked at her like she was stupid. “For you guys to settle down here, I’m sure!” 

Naruto stopped in her tracks. “I think you’ve got the wrong idea, Ino. We’re not settling down here. We’re just here for the wedding.”

Ino also stopped to look at her, her eyes widening. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she said apologetically. “I think I got the wrong idea. I just thought Sasuke would be coming back to help out with the family business. Silly me for assuming things!” she said, seeming genuinely remorseful.

Naruto shrugged off the apology, trying to hide her discomfort. “It’s okay.”

They walked around a little longer. Naruto tried not to think about what Ino had just said. There was no way Sasuke was moving back here. Was there? She shook her head, annoyed at herself for doubting her boyfriend. It just didn’t make any sense. They had a life together, for crying out loud. And Sasuke never showed any interest in leaving it behind.

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” Ino said suddenly, tugging on Naruto’s arm and leading her to the corner of the massive room, where a young woman was standing all alone. She turned slightly, giving Naruto a glimpse of her face, making the blonde’s breath catch in her throat.

She was one of the most beautiful people Naruto had ever seen in her entire life: tall and shapely, with long black hair that fell past her shoulders, large round eyes the colour of pale lilac, and full pink lips. Her features were elegant and regal. She was wearing a sleeveless pale blue dress that brushed the floor, and a gorgeous deep sapphire necklace that shimmered brilliantly in the light. Her overall appearance resembled that of a princess or noblewoman. 

Naruto would’ve expected to see such a beautiful and impressive woman standing before a crowd of desperate admirers, chatting and laughing confidently — but she was merely standing alone to the side, almost hidden by the large pillar, clutching a glass of wine and staring solemnly into the distance.

“Hey, Hinata!” Ino called, leading Naruto up to the woman.

The woman named Hinata jumped slightly at the sound of her name, her eyes daring between Naruto and Ino nervously as they approached. She looked like a deer in headlights, downright terrified of the two women walking up to her.

“H-hi, Ino,” she said. “How are you?” Her voice was soft and shy, her entire demeanour screaming ‘anxious’, and Naruto was reminded strongly of her friend and co-worker Hana. 

“I’m good, really enjoying myself,” Ino said good-naturedly. “I want you to meet someone. This is Uzumaki Naruto, Sasuke’s girlfriend.” 

Hinata’s eyes widened slightly at the words. She looked over to gawk at Naruto, making the blonde woman almost recoil — after a night of suspicion and disrespect, she didn’t want yet another person staring at her and treating her like she was dirt. 

But Hinata’s eyes had no hostility in them whatsoever, just an pure sense of curiosity and awe. “Oh,” she said quietly, gradually averting her eyes. She tilted her head in a shy, respectful bow. “It’s very nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san.”

Naruto smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you too, Hinata! Please, just call me Naruto,” said Naruto. “I’ve gotta say, your dress is amazing. You look beautiful!”

Hinata blinked, a blush slowly creeping up her pale cheeks. “Oh. Thank you, Uzuma — I mean, N-Naruto.”

Ino reached out to place a friendly hand on Hinata’s shoulder — but Naruto couldn’t ignore the way Hinata flinched at her touch and shifted slightly. “Hinata here is Hyuuga family heiress.” Ino turned to Naruto with a smirk. “Which makes me wonder why she’s standing here all alone like a loser!” She laughed out loud at her own joke, finding herself hilarious, though Naruto didn’t find it quite funny.

Hinata blushed even deeper, looking down at her feet almost guiltily. “I was just—”

“I mean, the Hyuuga are almost as powerful and wealthy and important as the Uchiha, aren’t they, Hinata-chan?” Ino continued, squeezing Hinata’s shoulder slightly. 

“I suppose so,” Hinata mumbled.

Naruto didn’t quite like Ino’s tone — it was a bit disrespectful, in her opinion. It almost sounded condescending, like she was talking an ignorant little child. She didn’t really like the way her fingers were digging into Hinata’s shoulder, either, making the dark-haired woman’s wince a little. But if any of it bothered the Hyuuga heiress, she didn’t mention it.

“So you guys all grew up together?” Naruto asked after an awkward silence, trying to change the topic to something more pleasant.

Hinata nodded slowly. When she spoke, her words were measured and soft. “We have all known each other since we were children.”

Ino fixed her with a cool smirk. “But we weren’t, like, best friends or anything. Not like me and Shika and Chouji were. The Hyuuga and Uchiha were always kinda…snobby. Sorry, Hinata, no offence!”

Hinata took a sip of her drink and mumbled, “None taken.”

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked, puzzled.

“I mean, when we were kids, they didn’t really like hanging out with the rest of us,” Ino explained. “They were cordial, of course. But they tried to keep things business-only between our families. The Uchiha and the Hyuuga have always seen themselves on a different level from everybody else, you know? I mean, they are. But they don’t have to be so damn obvious about it.” Ino’s tone had taken on a more bitter tone, losing its previous cheer.

Naruto frowned. Damn. So even within the most elite circles, there was still a hierarchy? It blew her mind.

Ino shook her head, looking deeply annoyed. “Ugh, I need a drink. I’ll be right back. Hinata-chan, keep Naruto company, okay?” 

Before the two of them could respond, she spun on her heel and strutted away in search of some champagne. Hinata and Naruto watched her go and then turned to blink at each other, sharing a little smile.

“Is she always like that?” Naruto asked wryly.

Hinata nodded, her eyes twinkling. “Yes.”

The two stood there for a short while, chatting among themselves as the party continued. Well, it was Naruto doing most of the talking, waving her hands animatedly as she spoke about anything and everything, with Hinata nodding along politely.

But Hinata seemed to be enjoying Naruto’s company. In fact, she seemed completely in awe of the blonde woman and her life. She would listen to her Naruto talk, eyes wide and attentive, interjecting every now and then to shyly ask a question or make a comment.

And Naruto found herself liking the girl a lot, and was secretly glad for Ino’s absence. For some reason, she had a feeling that Hinata wouldn’t be anywhere near as free and relaxed if the Yamanaka was still around. Even if Hinata was extremely sheltered and outrageously rich (she didn’t know what The Voice was, and was wearing millions of yen worth of clothing and jewellery like it was no big deal), she was still down-to-earth, friendly, and polite. 

Naruto was in the process of explaining the ins-and-outs to her daily barista job to a fascinated Hinata (who had never been to a coffee shop) when she heard someone quickly approaching.

“Hinata!” said a deep voice.

Naruto and Hinata both turned around, only to see a man making his way towards them them. He was tall and pale, with long brown hair tied back in a low loose ponytail, wearing a stunning charcoal suit and a heavy scowl. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion and disapproval. As he grew closer, Naruto saw they were the same pale shade as those of Hinata. Was he also a Hyuuga? Her brother, perhaps?

“Hinata,” the man snapped again as soon as he reached her. “What are you doing here? I told you not to leave my sight.”

Hinata had a terrified expression on her face, and she looked down at the floor sadly. “I’m s-sorry, Neji,” she whispered. 

The man continued furiously, “I’ve been looking all over the mansion for you.” He lowered his voice so that Naruto could barely catch what he said next: “Are you completely incapable of following even the most basic instructions? Are you really that stupid?”

At his harsh words, Naruto saw red. “Hey!” she snapped at the man. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

Hinata’s eyes widened even more at her outburst, but the man merely fixed Naruto with a cold stare, looking at her like she was dirt. “And who might you be?”

“Naruto Uzumaki,” said Naruto. People had been looking at her like that for as long as she could remember, and this creep had another thing coming if he thought it would start intimidating her now. “Not that it’s any of your business,” she added coolly. “What’s your problem with Hinata?”

“Naruto,” Hinata said quietly, reaching out to touch her elbow warningly. “Please. It’s alright. This is my cousin, Neji.”

Naruto turned to look at the man, who was now openly sneering at her and looking her up and down. 

“Oh, so this is Sasuke’s latest squeeze?” Neji asked. He fixed her with a cold smirk. “I do hope you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I was having the time of my life before you showed up,” Naruto growled, resisting the urge to punch him in his pretty face. 

Neji merely raised an eyebrow, now looking bored. “Lady Hinata is tired. All the excitement of the party is catching up with her. We must be going,” he said matter-of-factly, reaching out to grab his cousin by the forearm. 

Hinata flinched at his touch, and Naruto opened her mouth to tell him to fuck off. But then Hinata caught Naruto’s gaze, and her eyes were desperately begging her not to do anything. Naruto held herself back, feeling a mixture of helpless and furious, as Neji turned and began to steer Hinata away.

“Until next time, Uzumaki-san,” said Neji, walking off with a miserable-looking Hinata in tow. “So nice to meet you.”

“Bye, Hinata,” Naruto called after her friend. “I’ll see you later.” 

But Hinata said nothing. The previous happiness and kind-heartedness Naruto had worked hard to reveal had all seemed to have vanished with the arrival of Neji, being replaced with an empty shell of a woman who looked more like a trophy than an actual person. 

“I see you met Neji.” 

Naruto turned and saw Sasuke walking up to her, hands tucked into his pockets. She was still worried about Hinata, and annoyed over that douchebag Neji, but her heart softened and relaxed at the sight of him. He looked downright stressed, like Itachi had given him a very stern talking to — which he probably had. Naruto was curious to ask what his brother had said to him, but knew it wasn’t the time or place.

“Hey,” she said instead, reaching out to take his hand. “You okay?”

“Just tired,” he muttered. “What have you been up to?”

Naruto gave him a brief explanation of what had been going on. He frowned upon hearing Ino’s name, but didn’t seem fully surprised by Neji Hyuuga’s behaviour and how he treated Hinata.

“I’m surprised you even managed to get her to talk to you,” he commented. “She’s weird.”

“She’s just shy,” Naruto snapped, feeling defensive and protective of her new friend. “She’s actually a sweetheart, and she doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

Sasuke shrugged. “Either way, it’s nothing new. Neji’s been bullying Hinata since we were children.”

“What?” Naruto repeated, balking at his words. “Why?”

“Jealousy, I guess. Hinata was born into the main family of the Hyuuga. She’s the Hyuuga heiress. Neji was born into the branch family and was raised to serve her.”

“Serve her?” Naruto said, raising an eyebrow. “Like a servant? He was treating her like she was trash!”

Sasuke shrugged again. “I know you like Hinata, and I’ll admit she’s very harmless, but she’s…weak. Even when we were children, she wasn’t very remarkable or interesting or smart. But Neji was a prodigy. Everyone always felt he was better suited to take on the family name. But circumstances prevented that. I guess he internalised that feeling, and ended up resenting Hinata for it.”

Naruto frowned, biting her lip as she took in his words. These families were so…crazy. And dramatic! It was honestly something out of a TV drama. She shook her head. “Hinata’s smart,” she said petulantly. “And kind. That Neji guy is just a douche.”

Sasuke laughed softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “That is very true.”

She smiled happily as he wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug, feeling lighter than she had all night. 

 

 

 

Several feet away, Ino watched the two of them, scowling deeply. 

She was furious! She had been waiting patiently for Naruto to clash with Neji, knowing the blonde’s personality wouldn’t sit well with the stoic and strict Hyuuga. She’d even sent him over there herself, having approached him when he was looking around for Hinata, who had wandered off like an idiot.

“She’s talking to Uzumaki Naruto, you know, Sasuke’s new girlfriend?” Ino had told him innocently. “Yeah, she was just mentioning her time working as a stripper in New York.” She smiled cheerfully as she told him the lie. “Naruto-chan is so crazy and funny, even Hinata is laughing! I haven’t seen her so cheerful in ages.”

Ino didn’t think Neji could get any paler. But indeed, he balked at her words, his elegant features twisting into a mixture of horror and fear as he pictured pure little Hinata talking to someone like Naruto and learning all sorts of inappropriate, unwomanly and un-Hyuuga things. Ino grinned as he excused himself from their group and stormed off in search of his harmless and innocent cousin. Ino had successfully played on his insecurities, which all revolved around Hinata disgracing herself and the family name. 

And considering Hinata’s…episode a few years ago, which was the main reason why Neji was so damn protective of her nowadays, he was sure to lash out at Naruto for corrupting her. And Ino knew Naruto was not the type to take such allegations lightly. 

A fight breaking out would have been perfect, especially with Sasuke making his way back towards his girlfriend! It would have been the ideal time for Sasuke to realise he’d fallen in love with an unsophisticated buffoon who would only serve to humiliate him and tarnish his family’s reputation. 

But instead, that Hinata had diffused the tension and told Naruto to back off. When the fuck did she grow a backbone? Where was it the last time there had been a scandal in the Hyuuga family? Ino was absolutely furious.

She watched as Naruto and Sasuke shamelessly cuddled in the corner, comforting each other after what was most likely a difficult night. No, this would not do. She would not give up now, not when she was so close. She just needed to rethink things. 

Ino glanced across the room to where Neji stood, berating a forlorn-looking Hinata about who she should and should not interact with. She smirked to herself. A meeting with Neji Hyuuga was in order.

 

 

And from his discreet place on the upper landing of the Uchiha family mansion, Shisui had watched the entire scene unfold. He’d watched the conniving Yamanaka girl befriend Naruto and portray herself as a pillar of support in what probably looked like a pack of wolves to the Uzumaki girl. That was clever.

He also watched her then try her best to plot something so she could cause a scandal in the party. Something involving the Hyuuga, Uchiha and Naruto all at once. It was bound to be messy. She was ambitious, that was for sure, but her plans needed some tweaking if she really wanted them to succeed. And judging from how she was now glaring daggers at Sasuke and Naruto, who were canoodling on the opposite side of the room, she was downright determined to break them up.

“After all these years, you’re still obsessed with Sasuke,” Shisui muttered to himself, deeply amused. 

He remembered how Ino’s confession had been brutally turned down when she and Sasuke were both thirteen years old. She was lucky Sasuke never fully caught onto how desperate she was for him, and had pretty much forgotten about the crush she had on him, otherwise he would have her forcibly ejected from the party if she knew she was attending it, let alone talking to Naruto. 

Shisui had been about to stop her, at first. A fight breaking out in the mansion would reflect poorly on the Uchiha, and it would have stressed Itachi out, and Shisui couldn’t have that. But then he stopped himself. She was a conniving woman, and not worthy of the name Uchiha whatsoever…but if she did split up Sasuke and Naruto, that could only be a good thing. Naruto simply did not fit in into their world, and she never would. He had nothing against the girl personally. She honestly seemed like a lot of fun. She was the kind of girl he would take home for a night and enjoy until the morning, like that Rina woman. But Naruto simply wasn’t very intelligent, or beautiful, or sophisticated. A brawl in the mansion could easily be smoothed over and fixed, but someone like Naruto joining the family would be catastrophic and devastating for their legacy and reputation.

Itachi knew it. Shisui hadn’t actually gone to make tea, instead lurking outside the door to listen in on the conversation. He didn’t know Itachi could be that big of a douche, and could tell the Uchiha heir was doing a bit too much — but he supposed circumstances called for it if he was trying to scare Naruto off once and for all. 

Mikoto didn’t know it…yet. She was too nice, and everyone in the family knew it. Fugaku’s parents had always disapproved of her for being too soft on her sons — she was the one who encouraged her husband and eldest son to let Sasuke leave for America. Shisui suspected she saw herself in Naruto, another young woman trying to be accepted by a cold and ruthless family. However, Mikoto had always been classy and poised, which were two things Naruto was not. And though he loved Mikoto dearly — she had practically raised him — her kindness towards the Uzumaki girl was unfortunately foolish and naive.

So instead of intervening and stopping Ino Yamanaka, Shisui leaned back and enjoyed the show, realising that taking on a more passive role would probably be beneficial in the long run. Ino’s plan tonight didn’t work out, unsurprisingly. But he could tell she had some more tricks up her sleeve, judging by the way she was eyeing Neji Hyuuga. And he would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to seeing them unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun!!!! What is Ino plotting?! What happened in Hinata's past?! What did Itachi say to Sasuke, and what is he really thinking?! 
> 
> comments motivate, energise and inspire me :)
> 
> thank you for reading!!


	7. The Argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys, a tiny tiny update here.
> 
> i felt bad for abandoning this fic for such a long time, so i wanted to share something as soon as possible.  
> not much drama here but some characterisation for sasuke and itachi and some backstory too.  
> next chapter is going to be the bachelorette party and...y'know. messiness will ensue. featuring ino and hinata, and sai and neji and shisui. 
> 
> again im so sorry for leaving you guys waiting all this time. ive been so busy with work and im applying to law school so i barely have any free time for myself. but i WILL finish this fic and the updates will be more regular from now on. 
> 
> thank you so much for reading<3

Sasuke was not in a good mood.

He glared out of the car window, resisting the urge to rub his eyes tiredly. They were on their way back to the hotel after the Uchiha family party. Sasuke and Naruto had slipped out of the house a little after the ‘altercation’ with Neji, and were now sitting in the back of a cab that was speeding through the glimmering Tokyo streets. They hadn’t even bothered saying goodbye to anybody, as they were both extremely eager to leave.

Sasuke glanced down at Naruto, who was fast asleep on his shoulder, snoring lightly. She was no doubt exhausted from the experience of meeting his family — and, of course, being cruelly treated by rich and stuck-up strangers all night. Sasuke still couldn’t believe the nerve of some people, and how they had behaved towards his girlfriend. The idea of it made his blood boil with fury and — shame.

It was his fault, wasn’t it? He’d insisted on bringing Naruto along. He’d done nothing to quell her fears, instead firmly telling her that it would be alright, and that everyone at the party would know better than to disrespect an Uchiha in his own home.

He was such a fucking fool.

Not only had they disrespected Sasuke, but they’d also treated Naruto like trash. Like she was dirt under their shoes. He couldn’t believe some of the comments he’d overheard as he was walking around the mansion. Sasuke was immensely glad Naruto couldn’t understand what they were muttering among themselves.

_“I hear he paid for her company, if you know what I mean.”_

_“What?! Actually, that makes total sense. He’s always been a little bit…stunted, am I right?”_

_“Totally. I mean, just look at the two of them. It just doesn’t make any sense.”_

_“Hahaha! Oh my god, shh! They're walking over here!”_

What truly astonished Sasuke was what happened later that evening, as they stepped out of the Uchiha mansion and walked over to their cab. Holding his hand tight after he’d asked her if she was okay, Naruto had smiled cheerfully.

“I guess people here are just super shy,” she’d shrugged. “And they didn’t know how to talk to me. I know I can be a little loud and crazy. Or hey, maybe they were having a bad night. I’m not gonna judge them based on that.”

Sasuke couldn’t believe how kind-hearted Naruto could be, or how easily she was willing to look past people’s flaws and mistakes. But that was exactly what had drawn him to her all those months ago — and, now that he was (finally, blissfully) with her, it was what made him want to spend the rest of his life by her side.

Naruto had no idea yet, but Sasuke was secretly planning on proposing. It was funny, because Sasuke had always dismissed marriage and even the idea of a long-term relationship — until he met her. Now he knew he couldn’t picture a life where he couldn’t wake up next to her every morning, or spend an evening sitting on the couch listening to her stupid jokes and rants about _The Voice_ or whatever trashy reality TV show she was obsessing over, or watching her wildly dance around their living room and talk to their pet cat in a baby voice. He couldn’t imagine living without her smile or her laugh or her warm touch, as annoyingly cheesy as that all sounded. He’d simply never, ever met a person like Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke sighed, rubbing at his temples in frustration as he looked out of the foggy car window. It was that exact sentiment that seemed to deeply bother Itachi, and was the topic of their second conversation that night, when his brother had called him back to his office.

 

 

 

 

 

Sasuke had made his way back to the office, feeling apprehensive already. As he knocked on the door and briskly stepped in, he saw Shisui spread out on the couch, feet propped up as he tossed and caught a little rubber ball.

“Hey, cuz!” Shisui said, grinning widely.

Itachi was sitting at his desk, writing something down. He glanced up as Sasuke entered and silently waved for him to sit down in front of him.

Sasuke paused, glancing over at Shisui, who was now chewing on a piece of gum obnoxiously and still grinning at him.

“Don’t mind him,” Itachi said calmly. “Come, sit down.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but sat down in front of his brother. Itachi resumed writing, squinting at his paper from under his glasses as if he wasn’t even there.

Sasuke sighed impatiently and demanded, “What is this about, Itachi? Naruto’s waiting for me downstairs.”

Shisui frowned slightly, throwing his ball up higher with a little more force. Itachi did not stop writing, but he glanced up at Sasuke questioningly for a brief moment as if to ask, “So what?”

Sasuke cleared his throat and shrugged. “I don’t feel comfortable leaving her there with all those morons. They’re all gawking at her and whispering about her whenever she walks past.”

Shisui let out a laugh. “Those morons are our esteemed guests, little cousin,” he said teasingly. “And it’s sad Naruto-chan doesn’t feel welcome in our home. But come on, be honest. What the fuck did you expect?”

Sasuke inhaled sharply, turning to glare at his cousin. “What are you talking about?”

Shisui sat up quickly, all humour and cheer gone from his face as he glared at Sasuke. “I’m talking about you bringing a fucking bimbo to the Uchiha family mansion. What are you doing, parading her around like she has any right to be here? Like she could ever belong here?”

Sasuke stood up from his seat and turned to face him, his fists clenched and trembling with anger. “How dare you talk about Naruto that way,” he hissed at Shisui. “As if you have any right to talk about bimbos when you’ve been fucked by half of Shibuya, you walking STD—”

“Enough!” said Itachi, his loud voice commanding both of their attention just as Shisui was about to get up. He removed his glasses and put the pen down. “Sasuke, sit down. Shisui,” he said, fixing his cousin with a cold look. “Do not disrespect Sasuke’s girlfriend in that manner. Watch your mouth.” His tone left no room for argument.

Shisui shrugged and leaned back into the couch, though he seemed extremely tickled by Sasuke’s comment. “Walking STD,” he mumbled to himself with a cheeky smile, sounding rather delighted.

“Sasuke,” Itachi said again, his voice gentler this time. “Sit. Please.”

Sasuke turned to his brother, who was looking at him imploringly. He took a deep breath, fixing Shisui with one last glare before sitting down.

“Shisui, get my little brother something to drink,” Itachi ordered.

“Just tell me what this is about,” Sasuke muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Itachi stared at him for a long time, his dark eyes piercing. Then he nodded slowly. “Very well. I’ll get right to the point. I want to talk to you about Naruto.”

Sasuke tensed up immediately, but Itachi waved a hand and said, “Calm down, I’m not going to attack her character.”

“Really?” Sasuke said sarcastically. “What a surprise. Especially after your first encounter went so well.” When Itachi raised an eyebrow, he added, “She thinks you hate her.”

From his place on the couch, Shisui scoffed as if to say ‘duh’, making Sasuke turn around and glare at him. But Itachi merely sighed and shook his head, tapping a finger on his desk thoughtfully.

“I don’t hate Naruto,” he told Sasuke. “I barely know her. She seems…interesting.” Sasuke tried not to be offended at his brother’s tone, which made ‘interesting’ sound like a disease. “But that’s not really important. In fact, I don’t really care about the girl.”

“Then what is this about?” asked Sasuke again, impatiently this time.

Itachi looked at him blankly, as if the matter was obvious. “I don’t care about her because this time next year, she’ll be irrelevant. Listen to me, Sasuke. You are going to end this relationship, and end it soon.”

Sasuke felt his blood run cold as he sat up. “What?”

“You heard me,” Itachi said. “Break up with Naruto. Let her go back to her life in America, and you come back here to resume yours.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?” Sasuke snapped. He felt himself growing furious at the sheer audacity of his brother’s demands. “Do you think we’re still little kids and that you can order me around whenever you feel like it? I’ve built a life for myself in America — a life with Naruto. I’m not giving that up for anybody.”

Itachi stared at him as if he were stupid. “We’re not little children anymore, no,” he agreed, deep voice still full of calm. “But you are definitely acting like one. What are you thinking, Sasuke? You have a responsibility to your family. Your family, who raised you and protected you all these years, who gave you everything you ever wanted and more. You are an Uchiha, are you not?”

Sasuke swallowed and looked away, finding himself unable to respond. 

Itachi continued, “Family is about sacrifice and duty and responsibility. I have worked tirelessly for the past several years, making sure the Uchiha family remains on top. I have given up so much in my life for our family — for Mother and Father and all our cousins and you.”

He looked down at the table, pausing for a long moment. The room was so quiet Sasuke could hear the pounding of his own heart, a mixture of anger and shame running through his veins.

He remembered an occasion once, when he was a child and had just received his end-of-year school report. His grades in English had been surprisingly low, and he was shaking as he told his father Fugaku, who was sitting at the dinner table reading a newspaper.

Upon hearing the news, Fugaku had slapped Sasuke hard across the face and ranted angrily for a little over an hour about how stupid and incompetent he was compared to Itachi, who had never gotten a poor grade in his life.

“You’re lucky you’ll spend the rest of your life in his shadow, you stupid little boy,” Fugaku had snarled.

Afterwards, as he rubbed his cheek and fought back tears, he’d looked across the dinner table at Itachi, who was calmly eating his own dinner. They made eye contact for a brief moment, and Sasuke had poured every bit of emotion into his eyes, willing his brother to come to him and comfort him. But Itachi had merely looked away and pretended he wasn’t there.

The memory made Sasuke rise from his seat, willing himself to stop shaking. He would not allow Itachi to influence or control him — not now, not after all these years.

Sasuke said, “I’m going back to the party. I’m not going to break up with Naruto. In fact, I’m going to propose to her the second we return to America.”

Shisui choked on his own spit, and Itachi’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Sasuke—”

“So,” Sasuke continued, his tone casual, “If you want to support us, feel free. After all, she’ll be Naruto Uchiha soon. But let me make myself clear. I do not need your approval, brother.”

He spat the last word like it was poison before turning around and storming out of the office, his brother and cousin both stunned into silence and unable to stop him.

 

 

 

 

 

Sasuke laughed a little to himself at the memory. He had been so confident, and was pretty sure he’d never spoken to his brother so forcefully in his life. But it had felt good, damn it. He was a grown man capable of making his own decisions, and it was true — he did not need anyone’s approval, especially not a cold bastard like Itachi’s.

His mother seemed to like Naruto, and that was more than enough. He knew she would be ecstatic at the idea of a wedding. As for his father — well, they hadn’t spoken properly in years, and that was fine with him. He knew Naruto would be wanting to meet his father eventually, but he didn’t want to bring her around that monster whatsoever.

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto again, who was now snoring with her mouth open. He sighed, willing himself to calm down. So what if those morons had something to say? It didn’t mean anything. They were probably projecting their own insecurities onto them. Sasuke knew for a fact that most of them were miserable and bitter in their own marriages and homes, and they were just looking for a chance to lash out. It didn’t reflect anything about himself and Naruto.

He reached over to take her hand, squeezing gently as she stirred. They just had to get through the next few days. Then they’d be back home, in their own little world, away from all this fucking mess.

Sasuke couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aww sasuke u cutie!! why cant you be this sappy when naruto is awake? 
> 
> im sorry this chapter is so short lol.
> 
> comments are always appreciated and also...they motivate me!!


	8. The Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back with another post! its a little longer this time, and the ladies are flying to the private island for the bachelorette party!!  
> thank you to everybody for your patience. i am absolutely exhausted but i had so much fun writing this. so enjoy this chapter!!

“It’s only a weekend away, Sasuke!” Naruto chuckled at her boyfriend’s sad expression. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I don’t want to fucking go,” said Sasuke. He was laying on the bed, glaring up at the ceiling like a bratty child even though he was wearing an expensive navy blue suit. Naruto stood at the dresser, packing her toiletries into a little bag and laughing silently. 

They were meant to leave for the airport in twenty minutes, where they would go their separate ways: Sasuke to Shikamaru’s bachelor party, and Naruto to Temari’s “ladies getaway” on a faraway island. Honestly, Naruto was a little excited. She’d never been to a bachelorette party before, let alone one on a private island! And she was excited to see Temari again, especially after that awful night at Sasuke’s family home. Maybe she’d meet some other people who weren’t stuffy and rude. She smiled to herself a little hopefully as she zipped up her suitcase.

Too bad Sasuke was sulking like he was going away for two whole years. He hadn’t even bothered to finish packing.

“Shikamaru’s going to be there,” Naruto said, walking over to him and poking his forehead. His hair was still wet from the shower. “He’s really cool. And Chouji and — other people. All your friends,” she said teasingly.

“Don’t mock me,” Sasuke grumbled, making her laugh out loud. 

She jumped up onto the bed, taking care not to squash him as she repositioned herself and wrapped an arm around him.

“Come on,” she said. “Finish packing already so we can go. I don’t wanna be late!”

Sasuke squinted at her, sitting up with an annoyed expression. “You seem awfully excited at the idea of spending some time away from me.”

Naruto rolled her eyes. “You know me,” she said. “I just can’t wait.”

Sasuke tutted under his breath in annoyance, but got up from the bed and stalked over to his suitcase. Naruto watched as he grabbed a bunch of undershirts and chucked them into the bag haphazardly.

Naruto held her breath as he immediately regretted the decision. Sasuke quickly snatched the clothes up so he could carefully fold them like the neat-freak he was. She bit her lip and resisted the urge to laugh at the scene, but her boyfriend seemed to sense her amusement anyway as he turned his head to fix her with a glare. 

“Shut up!”

“I didn’t say anything!” 

 

 

 

They arrived at the airport half an hour later, Sasuke quietly grumbling the entire cab ride. Naruto, however, was practically brimming with excitement as they arrived.

As they got out of the car, Naruto took in the sight of the two private jets and the dozens of sports cars that surrounded them. There were already lots of people milling around, dressed in extremely fancy clothing such as designer suits and tight dresses and heels. Oh crap — there were even a few waiters rushing around handing out glasses of champagne. Were rich people totally incapable of going anywhere without champagne? Either way, they looked fabulous. Naruto looked down at her skinny jeans and old Converse and winced. 

“Sasuke, you bastard,” she snapped to her boyfriend, who was checking the weather forecast on his phone. “Why didn’t you make me dress up?”

Sasuke blinked at her. “Since when am I capable of making you do anything?” he replied wryly. “You look fine, idiot. And if you were dressed up, you’d just complain about how uncomfortable you feel.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it when she realised he’d made an excellent point. “You’re still a bastard,” she muttered, which made him scoff.

“Sasuke! Naruto!” 

Naruto beamed in delight as she saw Temari jogging over to them, Shikamaru lazily following with his hands in his suit pockets. Temari looked gorgeous in a tight gold sleeveless dress and heels, her dirty blonde hair falling around her face effortlessly.

“You look beautiful!” Naruto said. “Wow!”

Temari grinned. “Thanks,” she replied, a slight blush rising to her cheeks at the compliment. “I’m so glad you guys could make it. Okay,” she reached out to slap Naruto on the shoulder and added, “You two lovebirds say your goodbyes. C’mon, Shika.”

She turned on her heel and stalked off, greeting some other guests who were huddled together drinking champagne. Shikamaru followed his girlfriend with a small smile, giving Naruto a wink as turned away. 

Sasuke turned to her as soon as they were alone. “Naruto,” he said quietly, his dark eyes unreadable. He reached out to place a hand on her waist, and she could practically feel the warmth of his hand seeping into her skin. 

Naruto looked up at him, feeling shy all of a sudden as she focused on his lips. “Sasuke?”

He frowned a little, thinking over his words carefully. “I’m going to miss you, you know.”

“And I’ll miss you,” she laughed. “But it’s only for a weekend.”

“I know,” he said. “And I know absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder, or whatever. But I hate not being with you.”

She blushed at his words. Damn, the bastard was dangerous when he was feeling romantic. 

Then Sasuke leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes, but before she could feel his lips on hers, they were interrupted by someone calling her name.

“Naruto! Naruto-chan!”

Naruto pulled away from Sasuke and spun around to find Ino Yamanaka running over to her desperately.

“Ino?” Naruto said, bewildered. 

“Hey, Naruto!” Ino said as she reached her. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” 

Even though she seemed out of breath from running over to them, she still looked like a supermodel in a little black dress, her hair tied up in a long ponytail. She gave Sasuke a dazzling smile. “Hi, Sasuke-kun,” she said, her voice taking on a more girlish tone.

In response, Sasuke gave her a cold look. “What do you want, Yamanaka?”

Ino’s smile faltered at his harsh tone, but she replied, “Oh, well, our flight is literally about to leave, so I’m here to make sure Naruto-chan isn’t left behind!” She beamed at him, but he merely frowned in response.

“Oh my!” squeaked Naruto, pulling away from her boyfriend completely in astonishment. She grabbed her suitcase and said, “We gotta go! I’ll see you in a few days, Sasuke! Love ya!”

Sasuke frowned, but nodded silently and gave her a little wave as she turned to follow Ino, who was now marching towards the closest jet with a strut that could rival any supermodel’s.

Naruto rushed to catch up with the taller blonde woman. “Thank you, Ino! Imagine if the plane left without me, that would’ve been so embarrassing! It’s so nice that you noticed I wasn’t there!”

Ino glanced at her from the corner of her eye. “Don’t mention it,” she said, but her tone lacked any real warmth.

Naruto shrugged as they reached the plane. A worker took her suitcase to load it into the back, so she followed Ino up the metal steps and into the jet. 

To her utter surprise, it didn’t seem like the plane was about to leave at all. There were around eight women relaxing and chatting, lounging on the armchairs and calmly sipping — what else? — tall glasses of champagne. As Naruto and Ino entered, they all went silent and stopped to stare. Their expressions seemed a little cold, and Naruto resisted the urge to scowl in response.

“Hello, ladies,” Ino said, a tad haughtily as she led Naruto towards a seat. “C’mon, Naruto.”

“Where’s Temari?” Naruto inquired in bewilderment, looking around for the familiar face as she sat down opposite the Yamanaka.

“She’s still outside talking to people,” someone offered. Naruto turned to see a dark-haired woman giving her a cold look, as though she was stupid. “There’s an hour to go until the plane leaves.”

“An hour?” Naruto yelped. She turned back to Ino, who looked just as confused.

“I could’ve sworn I overheard the pilot saying he was about to leave,” Ino said, looking upset and ashamed. “I’m so sorry, Naruto. I must have heard wrong.”

“I guess so,” Naruto replied, feeling extremely disappointed and a little confused. She didn’t even manage to get to say goodbye to Sasuke! And she had to be stuck in this plane with all these stuffy women for an entire hour? “But it’s okay,” she added, feigning a smile.

But Ino’s upset and apologetic expression had completely vanished, as she was now glancing at herself in a little mirror in a bored manner. “Since we have all this time, I’m going to try and fix my awful lipstick. Haruko, look after Naruto-chan while I go to the bathroom, mmkay?”

She rose from her seat and disappeared before Naruto could open her mouth to beg, Please don’t leave me here.

Too late. Haruko, the dark-haired woman who was looking at her like she wanted her dead, was now her only companion. 

“So, Naruto, hmm?” she said in a drawling British accent. “Funny name.”

“I guess,” Naruto replied, rubbing her sweaty palms onto her jeans. Should she fake a phone call? Or pretend to text on her phone? 

“Why would your parents name you such a funny thing?” Haruko asked. “Is their Japanese as bad as yours?”

Naruto stared at her, feeling her blood boil in fury. “My parents are dead,” she said angrily. “So if you don’t want me to kick your teeth in, I suggest you shut the fuck up, Haruko-chan.”

Haruko’s eyes widened, and she promptly shut up. Naruto gave her one last glare before turning to look out of the window, willing herself to calm down. Don’t give them an excuse to rile you up. 

But then she heard another haughty voice speak up. “That’s a very unladylike way of speaking, Uzumaki-san. Your parents might have passed away, but your new parents wouldn’t approve of such behaviour.”

Naruto glared at the speaker, a slender and gorgeous woman with curly brown hair. “My new parents?” she repeated.

“Sasuke-kun’s mother and father, of course,” the woman said condescendingly. “In our culture, you have to revere them as you’d revere your own parents.” She paused. “You have met Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san, haven’t you?”

Naruto felt herself flushing in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. Who the fuck was this woman? “I have!”

Someone else giggled, a platinum blonde this time — another Yamanaka? “Liar,” she said. “Fugaku-san wasn’t at the party. You haven’t met him at all!”

“How do you know?” Naruto snapped. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me this entire time?”

Haruko-chan seemed to have regained her confidence because she answered, “Let’s just say this city isn’t as big as you think it is. And news travels very fast, Naruto-chan.”

And then they were all laughing. Naruto watched with wide eyes and a pounding heart as these eight complete strangers laughed in her face, mocking her, having assessed her entire identity and deciding she was worthless. The plane seemed icy cold and lonely, and she felt her hands ball into fists.

“You’re all fucking freaks!” she shouted. “You bitches!”

“Naruto!” a familiar voice gasped, and the plane went silent.

Naruto spun around to find Hinata, her friend from the night at the party, standing near the door of the plane. She was dressed in a simple white summer dress but still looked breathtaking, and to Naruto’s dismay she was accompanied by that total bastard of a cousin who had whisked her away from her last time. He looked just as arrogant now, glaring at Naruto as though she was a foul cockroach he’d had the misfortune of stepping on. Naruto saw how his hand was gripping onto Hinata’s shoulder tight, but the dark-haired woman was completely focused on Naruto, her pale eyes looking bewildered and afraid.

“Hinata!” Naruto cried, feeling complete relief at the sight of a familiar face (even if there was a bastardly one standing nearby).

“A-Are you alright, Naruto?” Hinata asked hesitantly, looking behind her at the several women lounging around casually.

Her cousin boomed, “What is going on here? What is the cause of all this foul language?”

Naruto fell silent, looking at the women who had just been laughing at her. They were all quiet now, either on their phones or smiling politely, as though they were complete angels.

“Neji-san,” Haruko said, her voice sickly sweet. “And dear Hinata! So good to see you two. Have you been enjoying the weather?”

“Lady Hinata,” Neji corrected. “And you haven’t answered the question, Haruko.”

Haruko shrugged, glancing up at Naruto with a fake smile. “Nothing’s going on,” she said innocently. “We were just trying to talk to Naruto-chan over here, but she got a little bit angry. You know these Americans and their temper.”

Neji blinked at the news, and then fixed Naruto with a sneer. “Indeed. She was behaving similarly the other night. It seems Sasuke hasn’t taught his woman how to act yet.”

The women behind her all giggled, and Naruto felt herself going red with anger. She opened her mouth to tell him to go fuck himself, and maybe do something about that tragic hair when he was done — but then Hinata looked at her imploringly. Her expression seemed pleading, just as it had been the other night. 

Naruto bit her lip and stayed quiet. Getting into a fight would make her look bad, and it would make Sasuke look bad, and then Itachi would hate her even more. She was here to make a good impression on everybody. She was here to show how mature and self-assured she could be. 

So instead of attacking Neji, she turned and looked at Haruko, who was smirking at her as though she was just waiting for her to cave. So she fixed her with the biggest, brightest, most bullshit fucking smile in her arsenal, tilting her head to the side good-naturedly.

“I’m so sorry about my language, Haruko,” Naruto said. “You’re right. We Americans simply don’t know how to act sometimes. I hope you can forgive me.” She was deliberately speaking in a sickly sweet voice that she would use to annoy Sasuke when he was getting on her nerves, and the fact that she was relying on it now to be utterly hilarious. 

Haruko’s eyes widened. “Uh-”

Naruto turned back to Neji, who also looked stunned at her sudden change in behaviour. “I just get a little bit carried away. So thank you, both of you, for reminding me of how I should properly act.”

And with that, she bowed deeply. She could practically hear Sakura’s voice growling in pride at the sight of it: that’s right, bitch! If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Naruto had no intentions of joining them — not in this lifetime, at least — but she didn’t want to cause any more trouble than she already had. So it was a necessary evil, she supposed.

She straightened up. Neji was now scowling at her suspiciously, but Hinata’s eyes were twinkling in amusement. Naruto winked at her discreetly as Neji turned to look at the window.

“That’s all very well,” he declared. “I can see the men heading over towards the plane. I’ll be leaving you now, Lady Hinata.”

He finally let go of his cousin’s shoulder, and she seemed to sag in relief as he turned to walk away. Before he stepped out of the doors, though, he gave her a cold look and said, “Remember, Hinata. You represent all of us. Keep that in mind as you decide what type of company you want to keep.” 

Haruko and her fellow bitches all giggled. Neji glanced at Naruto in disdain, and she nearly passed out from resisting the urge to make a funny face at him in response.

But then he was gone. Finally gone! Naruto rushed over to Hinata, who surprisingly seemed unfazed by her cousin’s threat. Instead, she seemed completely relieved that he was out of her way, and she gave Naruto a soft smile in greeting.

“Good afternoon, Naruto-san,” she said politely, bowing her head a little.

“It’s so good to see you again, Hinata!” Naruto cried, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. 

Hinata stiffened, and Naruto pulled away, afraid she had done something wrong. 

But as she pulled away, she realised Hinata didn’t look disgusted or annoyed but rather flabbergasted. She was blushing, the pink delicately framing her cheeks, and her pale eyes were wide in a mixture of astonishment and shyness. Naruto suddenly remembered Hinata was filthy rich and had been brought up in a stiff environment, no doubt surrounded by cold jerks like Neji, and so she probably wasn’t used to being hugged.

Upon realising this, Naruto gave Hinata a smile. “Let’s go sit down. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Hinata’s blush deepened and she returned the smile with a hesitant and shy one of her own. “R-Really?”

Naruto nodded. “Of course! These people are so crazy,” she said, dropping her voice lower a bit as she glanced at Haruko.

Haruko seemed to know she was talking about her, as she leaned back in her armchair and fixed Hinata with those cold eyes. “Hinata-san, why don’t you come sit with us? I’m not sure this woman is the type of company you’d like to keep.” She sneered at Naruto, who sneered back even more childishly. 

Hinata, however, hesitated. “Oh, it’s fine,” she began quietly, but her voice held a little bit of firmness to it, as though she was fully aware of the fact that Haruko did not have her best interests at heart. “Naruto-san is my friend, you see.”

Naruto’s heart skipped a beat at the statement. She had a friend! And she just so happened to be wealthy and gorgeous and totally sweet! She gave Hinata a sunny smile, feeling extremely content all of a sudden. 

But then the platinum blonde woman next to Haruko decided to ruin the moment with her bitchiness. She raised an eyebrow at Hinata’s statement. “Your friend?” she repeated, voice cold. “Does Neji-san approve of this friendship?”

Hinata paled at that, looking terrified at the mere mention of her cousin’s name. Naruto was about to snap and tell all of them to fuck off and mind their own business, and that Neji-san could shove his fucking approval up his ass — 

But then they were interrupted by a voice that called out, “Helloooo, ladies!”

Naruto and Hinata watched with wide eyes as Ino Yamanaka rushed into the plane, grinning, handbag in tow. Before she could speak, however, she shoved out of the way by a tall woman with brown hair tied up in two buns who grumbled, “Move, Ino!”

“You move!” Ino snapped back, looking outraged. 

“Both of you shut up, Ino, Tenten,” said Temari, who was now on the plane. “It’s too early to be arguing.” She took sight of Naruto and Hinata and gave them a little wave. Naruto smiled in response, and Hinata bowed her head shyly.

As Temari turned to talk to the pilot, the plane slowly filled with dozens of women carrying handbags and wearing sunglasses, all chatting animatedly about the upcoming weekend. Some were tall, some were short, some had dark hair, some had their locks dyed in bright colours, some were slim, some were a little chubby (which made Naruto feel a little better).

But all of them seemed filthy rich, clad in designer clothes with the names of the top fashion brands in plain sight for all to see. They smelled strongly of expensive perfume, like the type Sasuke had stupidly bought Naruto a month after dating that she knew cost more than her entire rent put together, and so she’d forced him to return it because _seriously, despite what Sakura and Mai might claim, I don’t want a sugar daddy_ ). The women also seemed to know each other, and were waving and cheering as they passed each other. They were already teaming up into groups of two and threes, sitting together in armchairs around a small coffee table. 

It reminded Naruto a lot of school. She didn’t have any real friends except for Sakura later on down the line, and so she’d been left out of activities and friendship groups on countless occasions. It was even worse when she was a child. She would overhear the kids whispering about her, asking if it was true that she didn’t have a mommy or daddy, and she lived on the streets with crazy people, why else did she look so weird and talk so stupid? 

As the women on the plane got comfortable, they saw Naruto and Hinata standing there together awkwardly. A few jaws dropped and eyes widened, and they began whispering among themselves at once. 

“Let’s go sit down, Hinata,” Naruto said quickly, feeling a little bit sick all of a sudden.

Hinata nodded and allowed Naruto to lead her towards two chairs near the window. But that didn’t stop her from overhearing the bullshit the ladies were whispering.

“Is that her?”

“I can’t believe Temari actually invited her — I thought she was just joking!”

“You should know Temari doesn’t joke about things like that.”

“Hinata looks beautiful! But why is she with — you know, her?”

“I don’t know. Shh, they’re looking this way!”

Naruto shook her head as she glared out of the window. She couldn’t believe the cruelty and rudeness of people. Didn’t they bother to think about the effect their words might have? Either way, Naruto was a strong-willed person, and she was proud of that fact. Even in school, when those brats had been mocking and teasing her, she had never let them win and she never let them destroy her happiness. And she wasn’t about to start now, even if the brats in question were wealthy socialites and aristocrats. 

“Ladies, please put on your seatbelts,” a voice on the telecom announced. “Our journey is about to commence.”

At the announcement, a few women cheered in excitement. The stewardesses went around handing glasses of champagne out (typical) and making polite conversation with the ladies. Naruto swallowed. Two days until she could see Sasuke again. She just had to get through the next two days.

Naruto turned to Hinata with a smile after she put on her seatbelt. “Anyway. How have you been, Hinata? Up to anything crazy?”

Hinata’s eyes widened at the suggestion. “No, no,” she said helplessly. “I’ve been studying, as always.”

“Studying for what?” Naruto asked, confused. “Are you in college?” 

But before Hinata could reply, Ino suddenly sat down in a spare seat next to them, sighing loudly in relief as she kicked her feet up. “Gosh, I’m tired!” she declared. 

She reached out to slap Hinata on the shoulder a little roughly, making the dark-haired girl flinch. Naruto frowned, but Ino continued, “Hinata-chan’s not in college! Not with this little brain of hers!” She poked her on the forehead, and her voice dripped of condescension. Nearby, Haruko and her friends giggled.

Hinata flushed, looking ashamed. “I-Ino—”

“Lemme answer your question, Naruto,” Ino said. “Since Hinata-chan can’t get through two entire words without stammering. Her father died, like, two years ago, and she’s been preparing to take over the family company ever since. Remember, I told you, the Hyuuga are nearly on the Uchiha family’s level? Remember that?”

Naruto frowned. “Yeah,” she said slowly. She turned to Hinata, who was now staring down at her hands and fiddling with her fingers. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Hinata.” Hinata said nothing, and she didn’t look up. The sight made Naruto feel so awful that she blurted out, “Ino, maybe you shouldn’t talk to Hinata like that.”

Ino stared at her in bewilderment. “Like what?”

Naruto shrugged, trying to act casual. She didn’t know why, but for some reason, Ino frightened her a little. “I don’t know. Like she’s a kid, I guess. It’s not cool.”

Ino paused. Then she let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, come on, Naruto. It’s not cool? Seriously. I’ve known Hinata since we were children. It’s just how we talk. She’s used to it. She doesn’t care. Do you, Hinata?” she demanded.

Hinata slowly looked up, looking deeply afraid. She quickly shook her head, then put her head back down to continue picking at her fingernails anxiously. 

Naruto didn’t believe it for a second, but Ino seemed satisfied. She shrugged and continued, “Look, no offence, but you literally just got here a few days ago. Hinata barely knows you. Who are you to tell me how to act around her?”

Naruto didn’t know what to say to that, even if she was growing increasingly frustrated. Ino was right — she was a stranger. A guest, really. She didn’t have any right to go around telling Ino how to act, especially since she’d only witnessed two interactions between her and Hinata.

But she was so sure Hinata was afraid of Ino, and that the blonde’s way of “talking” was little more than bullying. Naruto had seen how Hinata’s entire body would tense up when she was around Ino, how she couldn’t even keep eye contact with her for more than a second. 

“Anyway,” Ino carried on, interrupting her conflicting thoughts. “Haruko and Himawari and the others said you’ve been acting kinda weird.”

Naruto blinked at her, glancing at Haruko, who was chatting with her friends cheerfully. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Ino was staring at her with those cold blue eyes. “I just went to chat to them for a minute, and they told me you were being totally rude when they were trying to be polite. That’s not nice, Naruto.” Once again, her voice had taken on that same condescending, patronising tone that she had used to talk to Hinata.

Naruto opened her mouth to deny those bullshit claims and explain that Haruko had been a bitch to her for no reason, but Ino didn’t seem interested in hearing her out. She put a hand up to silence her.

“Naruto, I know it’s hard to adjust to our way of life,” she said pityingly. “Our traditions, our culture, our expectations. It’s all brand new for you. I explained to the girls already that you probably didn’t mean what you might have sad or done, and that you were possibly even having a bad day. They said they understand.”

“Really?” Naruto said, feeling relieved. She glanced at Haruko again, who was still talking happily to her friends Himawari and Co. “Wow. Thanks for clearing that up.”

Ino nodded understandingly. It was frightening, and a little impressive, how quickly she could change her tone and expression as she spoke. “It’s fine,” she responded. “But you must get used to things around here sooner or later, Naruto. This is Sasuke’s home. You want to understand and respect the place he calls home, don’t you? The place his mother and father and brother all live?”

Naruto nodded slowly, feeling a little reluctant as she did so. She wanted to tell Ino that Sasuke’s home was with her in New York, but Ino had made a good point. The entire reason she was here in Tokyo was to meet Sasuke’s family, and that logically meant she was going to come across the place he had first called a home. 

Home was something Naruto could never really wrap her head around. As a child, she’d been moved in and out of foster homes so fast she couldn’t really form an attachment to any of them. She didn’t remember what her parents were like, as they died when she was just a baby. She didn’t even have a photograph of them. 

Most of the other kids in the homes had just ignored her, even if they shared a room. Some had bullied her, but she fought back and pranked them so viciously they wouldn’t dare try it again. Some had befriended her, and to Naruto they were the most beautiful people in the world because of their kindness. Everyone else must have realised that too, because those kids were always the first ones to get adopted into a loving new family — while Naruto stayed behind, leaving herself alone with her own hopes and dreams and imagination.

The first place she had ever called a home was the little apartment she’d moved into after high school, when she’d finally been allowed to leave the foster home. It was absolutely tiny, and the appliances would randomly stop working, and the landlord was a total douche who hit on her every single night, and the electricity would go out at least once a week — but it was hers. She didn’t have to share a room with a wailing brat or snobby teenager. She could come home and illegally stream television shows on her laptop all night long. She could dance around the tiny living room and all she’d have to worry about was tripping over the old furniture instead of being mocked or harassed. It was exhilarating.

Then she’d moved into Sasuke’s high-rise apartment just after two months of dating. She couldn’t believe it when he asked. 

They’d been lying in bed together side by side, fingers interlocked as they stared up at the ceiling. It was late at night, and Sasuke’s hand was so big and warm around hers.

But then she ruined the moment by blurting out, “I love you.”

Sasuke slowly turned his head to look at her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she wondered if it was too late to play it off. I love you like a friend. Man, I love you. You’re the best. Fuck! She just had to open her mouth and ruin things. Two months was way too soon to go around saying shit like that. No wonder her exes had left her. She just didn’t know how to play it cool. 

But then Sasuke interrupted her. “You’re thinking too hard,” he said calmly. “Shut up.”

“Shut up?” she screeched, sitting upright. “Shut up? What’s your problem, bastard? I just confessed my undying devotion to you, and you tell me to shut up? Seriously, go fuck yourself!”

Sasuke sat up, too, grabbing her by the wrist. “Shut up,” he repeated. “It’s too late to be this loud. I love you too, moron.”

Naruto’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“I said I love you too,” he told her. He was smiling now, not a bastard-smirk like usual, but a soft and shy smile. “I actually said it a few weeks ago, but you didn’t hear me because you were watching that godawful show of yours and cheering.”

“What show?” Naruto asked. “The Voice? Why would you confess while I’m watching The Voice?”

Sasuke scowled, looking defensive as he shrugged. Ugh, he looked so good with his dark hair messy and falling around his eyes. “It felt like a good moment to say it. I don’t know. You looked so — I just — I don’t — shut up!”

Naruto was laughing again. Sasuke Uchiha loved her back. Sasuke Uchiha had already told her that he loved her. Sasuke Uchiha loved her even when she was screaming over the latest eliminations on The Voice. How on Earth did she ever get so lucky?

She leaned in to kiss him hard on the lips. He kissed her back desperately, wrapping his arms around her tight. She pulled away with a smile, reaching up to stroke the side of his face.

“I love you,” she said again, just because she could.

“Move in with me,” he responded. 

“I — What?!” Naruto screamed, falling off the bed.

Sasuke peered down at where she lay on the ground, giving her a dirty look. “Dumbass. Do you not know how to play it cool?”

“You’re one to talk, you bastard! Who do you think you are?” she’d shouted, but she was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. 

 

 

“Naruto?” Ino asked. “Earth to Naruto. You still with us?”

Naruto blinked, having been jolted from her pleasant memories. She looked at Ino and Hinata, who both seemed deeply concerned, and she laughed sheepishly. “Sorry, Ino. I was just daydreaming.”

“About what?” Ino asked, suspicious.

Naruto blushed. “Oh. Just — some fun times with Sasuke.” She reached up to smack herself on the forehead. “Gosh, that sounded perverted. I promise that’s not what I meant.”

To her surprise, Hinata giggled, covering her mouth with a pale hand. But Ino frowned, her eyes darkening in disapproval. When she spoke, her tone was cool. “You two seem very happy together.”

Naruto smiled, shrugging. “Yeah. He’s great. I’m very lucky to have him,” she said honestly.

Ino nodded, humming to herself as she gave Naruto an assessing look. “Indeed. Sasuke is truly one of a kind. Educated, handsome, wealthy, and just brilliant. Even when we were children, I could tell he was destined for greatness.”

Naruto couldn’t help but feel a little bit of resentment towards Ino for the fact that she had known Sasuke as a child, and Naruto hadn’t. 

Ino continued, “A lot of us were very curious about the type of woman who captured his heart. You must be very remarkable in your own right, Naruto,” she smiled kindly. 

Naruto suddenly felt uncomfortable, despite the kind praise. “I — guess? I don’t know.”

“What is it you do again?” Ino asked, eyes flashing.

“I work at a coffee shop,” Naruto replied. As soon as she spoke the words, she felt humiliated. 

“A coffee shop?” Ino repeated, looking baffled. “That must be…interesting.”

Naruto nodded, feeling as though she needed to redeem herself. “Yep. It’s very interesting, that’s for sure.”

Ino humoured her by asking some generic questions about life as a barista, which Naruto answered as enthusiastically as she could, trying to emphasise just how intense her routine could get. 

But during their conversation, Naruto couldn’t shake that feeling of humiliation, as though she had no right to be anywhere near Sasuke Uchiha when she was such an underachieving nobody. And even though Ino was being awesome and non-judgemental, she wondered if the blonde-haired woman secretly felt the same thing. She already knew everybody else on the damn plane did, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

She shook her head, trying not to paint Ino with the same brush. She seemed genuine. A little intense, but she’d looked out for Naruto since their first encounter, and she was grateful for that. Ino was probably friends with people like Haruko for the same reason Temari was — because they’d grown up together, and it was the polite thing to do.

“Let me go see what Himawari is doing,” Ino said several minutes later. “She gets crazy after a couple of drinks, especially when we’re in the air.”

Naruto forced herself to laugh as Ino rose from her seat and sauntered off to Himawari. She turned to Hinata, who was looking at her with an odd expression on her face.

“What’s wrong, Hinata?” she asked. “You feeling okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hinata said, her voice taking on that odd firmness that it only seemed to possess whenever Ino wasn’t around. “Are you o-okay, Naruto-san?”

Naruto nodded. “I’m totally fine. I think I’m feeling a little sick. Not used to taking airplanes, you know? So anyway, tell me more about your studies.”

Hinata seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to tell her something. Naruto, however, wanted nothing more than a distraction. So she was relieved when Hinata changed her mind and began giving her a detailed explanation about the ‘studies’ that she undertook everyday.

 

 

A few rows away next to a drunk Himawari, who was sobbing over her ex-boyfriend, Ino watched Naruto with a dirty look. 

She wanted nothing more than to go over there and slap her silly. How dare she drift off into a daydream while Ino was talking? A daydream about Sasuke, no less! Did she have no self-respect or courtesy? And she looked like such a cheap idiot, wearing slobbish clothes with her hair unkempt. Ino fucking hated her. She couldn’t believe Sasuke was with someone so stupid and useless. 

“I work in a coffee shop,” Ino repeated to herself, voice high-pitched and mocking. “What a joke. Sasuke’s family are worth more than you could ever wrap your silly little head around, and you work in a coffee shop?”

“Careful,” Haruko said warningly. “You don’t want her to hear, do you?”

Ino turned to her friend, looking furious. “You shut up. I paid you, moron. I gave you one job — to bully the fuck out of this blonde idiot and make her cause a scene loud enough for Itachi Uchiha to hear. I wanted her off this plane. But here she is, sitting and chatting to Hinata Hyuuga like they’ve been friends forever. You’re useless, Haruko.”

“The girl’s got guts,” Haruko admitted. Now that she’d given up the whole mean-girl act, she felt a lot more relieved. She didn’t really have anything against Naruto Uzumaki, but Yamanaka money was very enticing. “Neji came along and it seemed like she was about to crack, but she just brushed it off and apologised. It seems like she’s determined to give a good impression to everybody. I bet Itachi doesn’t like her very much and she wants to prove him wrong. He’s got eyes everywhere, you know. How she acts here could be enough to make or break her in his view.” She took a sip of her champagne. “And we all know how much Sasuke cares about his brother’s approval.”

Ino nodded slowly. There were three members of the extended Uchiha family on this plane alone (the twins Midori and Misa, and another cousin named Ayano), and a few were probably working at the resort. She’d stalked Sasuke for years, and she knew how his family worked, especially when it came to sensitive matters such as this. The girls were on vacation, yes, but they were also most likely analysing Naruto's behaviour to report back to their cousin if necessary. 

A few years ago, an anonymous woman had posted on a popular Tokyo lifestyle blog about being ‘stalked’ by hotel workers and waitresses when she’d gone on a few dates with Shisui Uchiha. All of them had been dark-haired and dark-eyed, much like the Uchiha himself, leading her to speculate if it was really his own family who were watching her. People had dismissed the post as nonsensical, but an Uchiha-enthusiast like Ino knew better. The Uchiha kept everything in the family, and wouldn't think twice about taking such lengths to make sure the reputation was being upheld. 

“Maybe she’s not a complete dumbass after all, if she's been able to figure all of that out,” Ino admitted, reluctant to give Naruto any real praise.

Naruto was now waving her hands animatedly as she spoke to a timid Hinata. Ino scoffed.

“Two failures,” she spat. “No wonder they’re getting along so well.”

“Calm down, Ino,” Haruko said.

“I’m perfectly calm,” Ino snapped. “Because I’m going to break that bitch during this vacation, one way or another. She’ll be sent home to New York crying her eyes out and wondering why she ever even bothered showing up in the first place. And Sasuke will be mine.”

Haruko whistled, taking another lengthy sip of her drink. “Damn. Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

Ino fixed her with a sickly sweet smile, then whipped out her cell phone to take some selfies. Her Instagram page was getting a little stale, and she wanted to make the most of the in-flight WiFi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> naruto baby...ino is NOT your friend! run!! 
> 
> itachi is definitely creeping on naruto. hes like santa: 'he sees you when you're sleeping...he knows when you're awake  
> he knows if u've been good or bad...' etc. Lmao
> 
> next chapter: the girls arrive at the island. some revelations are made. emotions are felt. the guys also have their own party and sasuke sulks (as usual). dramatic exits are made. thats all im gonna say lol.
> 
> hope u guys enjoyed this chapter. like i said i am absolutely exhausted but i am glad this is up! it was fun to write. im sorry for any mistakes bc i can barely even see atm its midnight and ive been up since 4am... anyway
> 
> let me know what you think!!! your comments make me so happy and they keep me going <3 thank you for all of the kindness and support. it means a lot to me. next chapter will be up soon...so until then take care of yourselves etc. <3 <3 byeeee


	9. The Flight: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi :)
> 
> I am SO SORRY!!! ive been gone for literally MONTHS its soo soooo awful. i feel so guilty. literally every month that went by without an update i felt so bad. i read all of your comments and they made me so happy. i'm not gonna go into detail but i havent been in the best place lately and its been really hard for me to even entertain the idea of writing. but im back, ok? kinda? and i promise you I will do everything i can to finish this fic, even if it takes ages i wont abandon it, i have so many things to include and to write and i want to share it with u guys as soon as i can.
> 
> i hope u guys have all been doing good and enjoyed your spring and summer so far. enjoy this super short chapter. thank you so much for reading and for sticking with me and this dumb fic . <3

By the time the flight had settled in the air, Naruto had completely forgotten about her bad mood.

She was pretty sure Hinata Hyuga was one of the most awesome people she’d ever met. Haruko and her band of bitches might completely disagree, pointing towards her extremely shy nature as evidence of her being totally tragic. But considering the fact that Hinata had to put up with people like that, as well as having a domineering asshole of a cousin constantly breathing down her next, and still managed to be a kind, sweet and patient person was nothing short of amazing.

Hinata ran Naruto through her gruelling schedule as the plane flew smoothly over the clouds coating Japan. The dark-haired girl studied business studies and economics with a variety of world-class tutors every single day, alongside four different languages and three musical instruments. She woke up at dawn every morning to exercise with two assistants (“Cousin Neji insists,” she’d told Naruto a little mournfully), followed a strict beauty regime and diet that was also supervised by Neji, and would fly out every week to accompany elder Hyugas on business trips, meetings and the rare party. 

Naruto felt exhausted just listening to the description of her life. “Damn,” she said, deeply impressed. “And I thought my life was hectic! It’s so crazy, Hinata. You work so hard but you always look perfect. I’m always such a mess.”

Hinata shook her head fiercely. “Don’t say that, Naruto!” she said firmly. And then she blushed, adding, “You are so —cool.”

It was Naruto’s turn to blush. She chuckled awkwardly. “Meh, not really. But don’t you sometimes wish you could just live a regular life? Like, go to college and join a sorority and attend frat parties and get drunk and go crazy?”

She was only joking, but Hinata turned pale upon hearing her words. Something in her eyes, which had been bright with cheer while talking to Naruto, became distant and sad. 

Naruto sat up, feeling startled at her friend’s sudden shift in behaviour. “What’s wrong, Hinata? Did I say something stupid?” 

Hinata glanced around the plane. Naruto followed her gaze, seeing all of the other women were either snoozing or immersed in conversation. She turned back to Hinata, who was now looking down at her lap and fiddling with her fingers. “I — I’m not allowed to — I shouldn’t talk about it.”

“It’s okay,” Naruto whispered. “You can trust me, Hinata.”

She reached out to take hold of Hinata’s hand, pulling it into her own lap and squeezing tight. 

Hinata looked up at the gesture, her eyes filled with tears as she slowly offered Naruto a soft, shy smile and squeezed back. 

Then she took a deep breath and spoke. “I used to go to college,” Hinata admitted quietly. “Before my dad died. But then —” A tear rolled down her cheek as she relived the painful memory.

“Hinata, I get it,” Naruto insisted. “I lost my parents when I was a child. I never knew them, but it’s still something you can never really get over.”

But Hinata shook her head at her words, as though Naruto had the wrong idea completely. “No, that’s not it. What happened was —”

“LADIES AND LADIES, WE ARE DUE TO BEGIN OUR DESCENT IN FIVE MINUTES!” Temari’s voice boomed through the plane. “SO PUT THOSE SEATBELTS ON, BITCHES!”

The women all cheered and shrieked in excitement, rushing back to their seats upon hearing her words. Hinata immediately snatched her hand back from Naruto, turned away to face the window and swiftly wiped the tears from her face.

Naruto frowned, watching Hinata resume her ‘Miss Perfect’ act. She had no idea what her friend had meant to tell her, but she was upset she didn’t get to hear the full story. Hinata seemed so broken, so damaged after all those years spent being bullied by Neji and all the other women like Haruko and her cronies. And even though she meant well, Ino seemed to treat Hinata like a kid, too.

She sighed, turning away to face her own window, fastening her own seatbelt as the women around her gushed about all the gorgeous Instagram pictures they were going to post over the weekend.

“I miss Sasuke,” she muttered to herself, hoping he was doing okay. She wished she had connection so she could send him ugly selfies and memes like she did back home. She sighed, sick of feeling sorry for herself. “It’s just a weekend, Naruto. Get it together. You can do this.”

She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, trying to drown out the sounds of shrieking, tipsy women.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this chapter is so tiny but i really wanted to update --  
> working on the next one rn and its gonna be super long, gonna include the entire weekend from BOTH naruto and sasukes perspectives i think. lots of drama en route.
> 
> THANKS FOR READING  
>  I LOVE U GUYS  
> BYEE


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